More or Less Bryan's

Graham is in Kindergarten

2011-09-05T19:34:00.001-06:00

Graham's first day of school! He was so excited to go to a big school and to ride the bus! Actually now when we ask him what his favorite thing about school is, he says riding the bus :)

Graham doing his homework... and really wanted me to record it haha

Updates on Judd

2011-06-12T19:07:00.000-06:00

Judd is now five months old... and I can't believe how fast time has gone by!

But to back up for his four month appointment he weighed 12lb 4oz and was 24" long

He started rolling over last week from his back to his stomach.... the only problem is that he hasn't figured how to roll back over and he doesn't love being on his tummy :) We have yet to capture the moment...

Everything goes into his mouth... his hand, his toys, and blankets (which Graham thinks is hilarious because he "eats" his blanket to this day... we always ask if he taught Judd how to do that and he says yes and laughs)

He has started laying on his side to sleep at night, we put him on his back (like 'they' tell you to) but he rolls to his side and sleeps soundly.

He went on his first flight with his daddy. Tommy and Judd flew to Vegas for a wedding (while Graham and I stayed home). He was a little fussy on the flight, probably because there was not enough leg room lol... but giggled through the turbulence. He spent most of his time in someone's arms... Like great grandma LaVee.

He has always love to stand while being held, so it was no surprise how much he loves being in a bouncer. We never got one for Graham but inheritted one from a family member

He has started eating solid food. This video is his first food experience ever... oatmeal. Yeah, he didn't really like it. But when we gave him carrots he would grab the spoon and shove it into his mouth. Guess he already has food preferences (and he HATES peas!)

He is also ticklish and has started giggling when you tickle his ribs or collar bone.

Judd is such a sweet little baby and I can't believe how fast he is growing up... I wish it would slow down a little. We are so blessed to have him in our family... and in a few short weeks we will go to court and finalize the adoption and he will be ours (legally) forever.

Can I Have A Newspaper?

2011-06-12T18:17:00.000-06:00

My mother works for an orthodontist and they get lots of magazines in their office. Periodically they throw old ones out to make room for new ones, so I asked ifI could have the old ones for my clients to look at. They sit in my "salon" for any to read.

A few months ago I told Graham he needed a hair cut and he immediately began to whine. Not sure why getting a hair cut seems like the end of the world to a 5 year old... but it does. As I began to cut his hair, he noticed the pile of magazines and asked if he could read a newspaper. I picked out a "newspaper" for him and he turned the pages and looked intently as I cut his hair. While looking through his second magazine he began moving his head back and forth as if he was reading the article (there were no pictures on the said page)... keep in mind that can't read currently but was copying what he sees Tommy and I do.

It gave me a good chuckle.

Here is a video of it (don't think the sound is good or if you can here it at all, but I had to capture this moment!)

My Little Artist

2011-06-12T18:09:00.000-06:00

Graham never was much for arts and crafts. I would ask if he wanted to color and his response was always no; however, this last year he has really started liking it more. We decided to show case all of his paintings from school in our loft... Graham is pretty proud of his work!

He has also learned to write better and LOVES writing notes (even if they don't make sense - he will usually say it is in spanish when that is the case haha). He wrote me this note all by himself. It makes my heart melt! It is what any mother would love to hear.

Tommy helped him make a mother's day card for me...

... and then he found some sticky notes and added his own touch to it

He made this at school; his teacher Ms. LeAnne told me he said it was me because I am an angel... He must have caught me on a good day lol!

I sure love my (not so) little guy. His tender heart always makes me so happy.

Biggest Loser Moment

2011-05-09T21:40:00.001-06:00

We are big Biggest Loser fans in our home. We watch it religiously every Tuesday and love watching the contestants shrink and grow. By shrink I mean the obvious... all the pounds that are falling off them (as if it is that easy!).
But my favorite is to watch them grow.
Watch them overcome obstacles that have held them back their entire lives. Watch them believe in themselves. Watch them think differently of themselves. Watch them do things they NEVER thought they could do.
Being a Biggest Loser fan has also made me love (and hate) Jillian Michaels. I have bought several of her workout DVD's and man do they push me. I have begin to internalize some of the things she says too...

"Pain is fear leaving the body"
"Don't be afraid to fail"
"When it hurts that is you getting stronger"

As I have begun to train for the BolderBoulder every time I run those quotes repeat in my head... especially when I feel like I want/need to stop.

So today I had one of those growing Biggest Loser moments. I have never run more than 4 miles. EVER. I had decided I was going to shoot for that today, 4 miles. My route was a total of five miles but I had planned to walk a little at the beginning to warm up and a little at the end to cool down. I started walking and went about a quarter of a mile, then decided I was going to run... even though the hill in front of me was fairly daunting. So I started (and I was pushing a jogger I might add!) running, and kept running. 1 mile, 2 miles, 3miles, 3.5 miles.... As I was approaching the place where I was planning on walking (4 miles), I got there and felt like I could push through... again with a steep hill looking me in the face. I ran, and ran, and ran. I even added to the end of my run to make sure I got a full 5 miles (since I walked at the beginning). There were times I wanted to stop, wanted to walk, give my body (especially my knees) a break. But I pushed myself... and I made it!

I have always said that I am not a runner. I don't have a runners physique and I have past injuries that I felt had impaired me. But today I felt like a runner. I overcame something I never thought I could do... run 5 miles straight!! I have grown as a person just by allowing myself to believe I could do it and to push myself. And though my knees have been throbbing all day, it was worth it. I bet I will be able to run the entire 10k in three short weeks... another thing I never thought I would ever do. Man, I am just growing all over the place! :) (now I wish a little shrinking would happen too lol)

To many of you, this feat is no big deal... you run marathons, do triathlons... for you a measly 5miles is nothing, but to me it is so much more. It makes me want to shoot for an even steeper goal because I know if I push myself I can do it. We each have our own "5 mile obstacle" we need to conquer and I learned today that conquering something has more to do with our thoughts than our ability. So I will keep pushing myself, knowing that I may fail, but eventually will succeed.
So I echo Jillian ... "Don't be afraid to fail"

I am FINALLY doing it!

2011-05-09T21:21:00.000-06:00

the Bolder Boulder, that is.

For the last several years my brother and sister in law have tried to talk me into running the biggest 10k Memorial Day race in the Nation... the "Bolder Boulder". I have always politely declined. I have made many excuses up over the years, but most go back to the fact that I have bad joints, specifically my knee.

But this year, I decided to take the plunge. I decided last Sunday and therefore only giving myself four weeks to train. I went in thinking that I would run about half (maybe more) and walk the rest... BUT then I had a friend that has inspired me and pushed me as well. My second day training I ran three miles with her. (I thought I was going to die and I wanted to rip my legs off my person... but I am still alive and, believe it or not, running!)

I am excited for a new experience... and if I can run a 5k my second day training maybe, just maybe, I will be able to run the entire 10k! (I have to add that is will be my first 10k ever... we will see!)

Fun to compare

2011-04-25T13:31:00.001-06:00

(Hopefully you guys don't mind me posting these on here... but it is fun to see who Judd looks like)

Baby Birth Father Baby Birth Mother

Baby Judd

Who do you think he looks like?

Who needs a pacifier?

2011-04-25T13:26:00.001-06:00

I recorded Judd sleeping (again... I know!) and it is fun to see the comparison between a week old and a 3 month old sleeping. He was sucking... his tongue?... while sleeping and it was too dang cute to pass up!

And notice the blanket all around his head... he actually prefers it over his eyes, but that worries me. He is one hot slepper and loves to be all wrapped up. Graham was the same way!

Loved Even By Trixie

2011-04-25T13:17:00.002-06:00

Judd sleeping on the sofa and even Trixie (our crazy, hyper chihuahua mix) wanted to snuggle with him.

He has that effect on us too!

Go Rockies!

2011-04-25T13:15:00.000-06:00

My nephew's school choir was chosen to sing the National Anthem to open the Rockies game. We all bought tickets and it was really neat to see all these kids singing down on the field. I am sure the entire choir (my nephew especially - he is a big baseball fan!) was excited for a once in a life time opportunity!

Our seats were not great... Good ol' rock pile!

But it was a beautiful day (minus the extreme wind) and it was really fun to spend time as a family!

Judd and I from our seats, wayyyyyyyyyyyyy up high... we get a good view though :)

The choir down on the field singing

Dinger, Judd, me, Charlotte (my niece), and Graham

Graham had such a fun time! As soon as we arrived he notified me (by begging and wining) that he wanted a Rockies ball cap. I thought "NO WAY! They have to be at least $20-30 and he is just going to lose it!" But my sister-in-law told me about "Rockies Rookies" You pay $12 and you get a hat, t-shirt, bag and a bunch of discount ticket coupons. You also get to run on the field after the game but it is on a Sunday, so we won't be participating in that. But I figured it was still worth it!

Yep, I am a sucker... and yes... Graham is spoiled!

Smiles

2011-04-25T13:05:00.000-06:00

For the last month Judd has been sleeping well... ok REALLY well! He has been sleeping 12 hours at night since we was 12 weeks old (thank you Baby Wise!) You would think that after sleeping that long Judd would wake up a starving screaming baby...
But quite the contrary, he is all smiles in the morning. It is such a fabulous way to wake up every morning! I walked over to Judd's crib this morning and greeted him. He began talking and smiling at me.

Our family has been very lucky to have two very happy and smiley babies!

Our First Sporting Experience

2011-04-25T11:06:00.001-06:00

We are about a month into Graham's (and ours) first team sport activity. We had enrolled him into soccer, I thought he would absolutely love: running around, playing with other kids, and he was very excited about his cleats and shin guards!

I have always thought of Graham as a pretty active kid, but also one that is very tender and sensitive. I never thought the latter would come out on the field!

His first practice was great he was super excited to play...

This is a picture as we were walking out the door to go to his first soccer practice... Can't you see his anticipation?!?!

Every time he would kick the ball at practice, he would bend down like this... Hey Graham! It's not golf!

Lining up and waiting to do a new drill

Completely ignoring his coach...

And here is a video of his first game. I love how he just runs behind the clump of kids! The first 15 minutes of this game he was crying on the sidelines.... I asked him why and he said that he was a little shy.

Yep, that is my tender kid!

We had to do a little bribery to get him out there.... hey I would have gone out for a Dairy Queen Dipped Cone too!! (and no, I don't feel bad I had to bribe my child... you all do it too! Admit it!)

Unfortunately his desire to be involved in soccer has drastically depleted since his first practice and game. His game two weeks ago he was just walking around the field picking at his nails... At one point he went up to the other coach (ok, it was several times throughout the game) and proceeded to have a conversation with her. Because the kids are young the coaches are the ref's as well... so needless to say, she was a little busy but was trying to be nice to my sweet (and distracting) son. Maybe that was his tactic... distract the other coach, so his team could score a goal... probably not, but I will pretend that's what he was doing! lol!

At one point in the game, he ran over to the sideline where I was, and said "look mom! Now I can blink with one eye!" He was so proud he had learned to wink, which of coarse is wonderful, I am just a little bummed I had to pay an $80 soccer fee for him to learn it!

This week's game went slightly better. He actually touched the ball, no not with his hands! I guess I should say that he actually kicked the ball a few times! Maybe he just needs a little more time.

Tommy and I are adamant that he does not quit, he MUST finish the season (it is ONLY 8 weeks!) but part of me wants to enroll him again and see if he likes it more... but I don't want to make him miserable either.

What is a mom to do?

If nothing else.... he did get a lot of running in and I got a few chuckles :)

Becoming A Man

2011-04-12T17:02:00.000-06:00

...and it is happening too fast!

we caught Graham passed out on the sofa like this.... this is a "boy thing" that I just don't understand!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2011-04-12T16:55:00.000-06:00

Since we got Judd, most people have asked how Graham is adjusting to having a baby around.

There are not enough words to say what a fabulous big brother Graham is. I can't believe how "mature" he has become (as mature as a five year old can be! lol). And he absolutely LOVES the title "Big Brother" and I use that to my advantage! Whenever I need help, I call to him that I need "Big Brother Help"... and he is on it!

Not once has he complained that I can't help him at a particular moment because I am feeding Judd, or changing him, or putting him to bed, or he is crying... (the possibilities are endless really). I think he understands in his childlike way.

Many times when Judd is crying Graham is the first on the scene to respond. One day I was doing some one's hair and Judd was crying. I came a minute later to check on him and Graham had moved his carrier so Judd could see the TV. It was so cute to see Graham and Judd watching TV together.... Judd was completely content! (As I am writing this, I am kicking myself for not taking a picture.... typical Annie!)

I think this picture below personifies exactly how Graham feels about his brother.

love it.

Judd was 2 weeks old and sleeping on my bed while I was getting ready in the morning. Graham just climbed up next to him, completely mesmerised.... I feel the same way.

Sleeping Beauty... but masculine of coarse

2011-04-12T16:42:00.001-06:00

I LOVE this video of Judd! He is a little over 2 weeks old and totally snoozin' in my arms.

NOTHING is better than a sleeping baby!

When he smiles, it is pretty much perfection!

Lots of catching up to do...

2011-04-12T16:38:00.000-06:00

Well, it is a slight understatement that I have done a poor job keeping my blog updated the last few months. To my defense, I do have an infant. But having a baby is all the more reason TO update it!

I will try to do a better job!

4 Short Weeks

2011-02-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

3 days old

I didn't realize he wore the same sleeper week 3 & 4 until I posted this... It barely fits him now!

Plus 1, FINALLY!

2011-01-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

Judd Isaac Bryan

came into the world on

January 3, 2011

8:15am

He weighed 6 lbs 15.5oz and was 20 inches long

He came into our family

January 5, 2011

at approximately

6:00pm

Judd three days old, the evening we got to bring him home.

Three days old with a very special quilt made by his wonderful and loving birth mother.

I want to record some of Judd's beginning and although this is the condensed "public" version, don't expect it to be short. There are so many wonderful things that Judd has already blessed our family with, I know I will already forget to include some. But here is our happy story.

We were picked by a wonderful birth mother in October. Because of where we have been in the past, we chose not to tell anyone of this exciting news. We were guarding our hearts. We had corresponded with her and the birth father since then. We got to know them better and have come to love and respect them. We made a trip out to San Diego to visit her over the Thanksgiving weekend. We drove to Vegas and spent Thanksgiving with Tommy's family, at which point we told them about a baby we were hoping to adopt in January. On Black Friday, we drive to San Diego and Saturday met with our birth mom, Morgan, and her aunt (whom she was living with). It was a great but short visit. We all met with the case worker and then went to breakfast. After breakfast we talked and then went to the ultrasound to find out the sex... a BOY! Morgan always knew it was a boy - which I think was pretty darn impressive :)

As soon as the ultrasound was done, we got in our car and drove back to Vegas. It was difficult to leave, especially so abruptly, but we had a long drive ahead of us.

In December, we made a special trip to Kansas City to visit our birth father, Josh, and Morgan's parents. (On a side note, I really liked Kansas City! It is such a family friendly city and we even had time to go to Liberty Jail... awesome!) We were only in Kansas City for one full day, we got in Friday night and left Sunday morning but really it felt much longer than that. We spent some time with Josh and got to know him better and formed a relationship with him. We also spent several hours with Morgan's parents, talking about us and answering each other's questions. It was not scary as some might think, but actually was a very comforting visit.

As time passed we got more excited (and definitely more nervous) for Morgan's due date to arrive. She was due January 16 and my plan was to drive to Vegas with Graham on January 14th and wait until we heard she was in labor. I knew she was planning on having a natural childbirth and was not going to be induced, so I figured she was going to be late...

Then, I get a phone call January 3 at 8:00 in the morning, it was Tommy I had just gotten out of bed to get ready to take Graham to school. He said that Josh just called him. My heart sank... I had trained myself to think the worst, so I assumed he was calling to say he had changed his mind about the adoption. Boy was I wrong! He was calling to say that Morgan was in labor and he was driving to San Diego already. Well, my heart started beating again, and HARD! Tommy began looking for airline tickets for me and I called Morgan to find out her status. I didn't get a hold of her (she was a little busy at the time lol) but after I left a message, her aunt called. She notified me that her water had already broken and that they were headed to the hospital anytime. My pounding heart affected my brain... as I packed I couldn't stay focused. I was thinking of everything we needed for the amount of time we were going to be in California. I had assumed we would be there at least two weeks and possibly more. As I packed I encountered a small problem... it was laundry day and most of our clothes were dirty AND I had no time to wash and dry them all. Easy solution, I stuffed everything in a garbage bag and decided we would figure it out in San Diego. That morning I would rush from room to room trying to pack for the baby, Graham, Tommy and myself and doing it very poorly. I was supposed to watch my niece and nephew that morning... I had to call and cancel. I needed a pack-n-play... I had to call and find one. I had to cancel our milk delivery for a few weeks... where was the schedule? My brain was going a hundred miles a minute and my body wasn't keeping up. My sister in law brought her pack and play over and began helping pack. She was such a great help!

Tommy came home from work around 9:30 and helped me finish packing. I asked if he would give me a blessing. I was going to San Diego alone and was apprehensive. He gave me a sweet blessing of reassurance, he blessed me to be able to enjoy this exciting moment, he blessed me with peace and calm in my heart. I am so grateful Tommy has the priesthood because I NEEDED that! Tommy and Graham got into the car around 10am and headed off to Vegas. I finished a few things at home and drove to my parent's home. I brought our dogs (yes, dogs, plural. We adopted a dog for Christmas...are we crazy or what?! lol It has turned out to be really great though, Graham has a new little friend to play with and doesn't feel so neglected) over too. We left for the airport almost immediately because I had a few errands to run on the way. As my dad got in the car, he asked if he could tell Grandma what was going on.

Let me give you a little background on my grandma real quick... She has had cancer for the last few years, and this last year the doctors said they weren't going to "fight" it anymore. She was slowly deterriorating until about November then everything went south very quickly. About a week before Christmas she went on 24 hour care and the doctor said that her body was shutting down. The cancer had entered her bones and she was going to pass whenever she was ready. The week after Christmas she could no longer swallow, talk, or walk and had chosen not to have a feeding tube. None of my extended family knew Morgan had chosen our family to raise her baby... heck, we had just told my immediate family on New Year's Eve. I had felt very strongly Sunday evening that the next day (January 3) I would call Grandma and tell her the good news, that we were going to adopt a little baby boy in two weeks. I figured it would lift her a little, and if Morgan or Josh changed their minds in two weeks, Grandma wouldn't know.

Yes! I told my dad. I knew I wouldn't have a second to call. I would be in a plane, or a taxi, or a hospital. I had a priority, and that was Morgan and Judd (who at the time was "baby"), and selfish or not, I could not focus on calling my grandma.

My dad and I drove to LDS Family Services first... see, we had some last minute paperwork that had to be done prior to the adoption. Luckily, we remembered we had it and Tommy signed it before he drove off. As we pull into the LDSFS parking lot, we see it is completely empty... we call the number and guess what? They are closed for the Holiday (since New Year's Day was on a Saturday, they got Monday off). We are blessed that our caseworker is in our ward, and so are my parents. My dad said after he dropped me off at the airport he would drop off the documents.

I got to the airport and waited about an hour before boarding. The flight was quick and I even got to sit in the bulkhead, it was definitely my lucky day! Once I got off the plane in San Diego, I grabbed my backpack (which is all I took with me, I figured Tommy was going to be there in a 12 hours) and headed toward the cabs. I got into the cab and told him I needed to go to the Sharp Mary Birch Hospital. I figured that he would know were it was... I mean it is a hospital... and he is a cab driver. But no, he didn't know. The language barrier didn't help matters either! I was a little flustered... I wanted to be at the hospital NOW and I am sitting in a cab, watching the dollar signs go up and we ar egoing nowhere. He called someone and in the meantime, I called Morgan to get more info on the hospital. 20 minutes and $45 dollars later, we arrived.

I took a deep breath and walked in. I checked in downstairs and then made my way up to Morgan's room. I got a little nervous as I approached her door. I quietly knocked, and was told to come in. I saw Morgan's mom at the foot of the bed holding "baby" and Morgan in bed. I went over and embraced Morgan. It was so good to see her, and she looked fabulous! You would never guess she just had a baby! I also gave her mother a hug.

They asked how I was, and I replied that it had been a very emotional morning, as I am sure it was for them too. I was told to put down my back pack, and directly I was handed this sweet little boy. I held him for some time before the nurse came in to check on him and Morgan. I left the room to give them some privacy. I went to the waiting room. I was there for about 2-2.5 hours before I was invited back in the room. Morgan had been staying with a family from church the last few months of her pregnancy, and they came by that night with dinner... which was so nice because I hadn't eaten all day! They were such an amazing family and I am glad I got to meet them. A little bit later Morgan's aunt came by, and I ended up going home with her and spending the night in her spare room.

I must say, Morgan and her family are some of the most extraordinary people I know. They had been so welcoming of us and treating us like long lost friends... but that is actually how it felt.

Her aunt and myself talked for several hours that night, it was nice to get her perspective on things and it was nice to voice my perspective. It was so comfortable talking to her and I was so comforted by talking with her.

That night I was supposed to get some good rest.... yeah right! It was a good thing I packed a few books. I would read until I was dozing off and then start reading again when I woke up 30 minutes or an hour later. I figured that I got about 3-4hours of restless sleep that night.

The next day we got to the hospital around 9am, and were met by Tommy and Graham. I was so excited to see them! I had been very worried about them traveling in the bad weather in Colorado and being tired. The last thing I needed was something bad to happen to them! But they were there, and safe. Morgan's aunt went up and we stayed back for a little bit. It was at that point that Tommy took me outside and told me that my grandma had passed the previous night. I cried some near silent tears as Tommy embraced me. I gave myself a few minutes and then gained my composure, I had to be happy for Morgan. I didn't want her to think my saddness for losing my grandmother had anything to do with her, so I buried it.

We went to check in as visitors and the guy looked at us inquisitively. He asked if Tommy was the husband, and Graham was the brother, and I was the....??? Tommy and I looked at each other like "How do we explain this?" I said that we are the adoptive family to a baby that was born the previous day... So technically we would be the parents, and Graham would be the brother. I was actually I little timid saying that... because nothing was final. The man said he needed to go ask someone what to do. He came back and treated us as the family. Graham got a sticker that said "Big Brother" (he would not have been able to go up if he was not "related" to the infant because of hospital rules), he was very excited about that.

We all went up, and Tommy and Graham got to see "the baby" for the first time. All of us being in the room was a little crazy though, so Tommy and I took turns staying with Graham in the waiting room (while he played with toys and watched Spongebob) while the other was in with Morgan and baby. It was that day (Tuesday the 4th) that I announced that we were planning on naming him Judd Isaac. Judd was a name that Tommy had picked, it is not only a name that he likes but also is the name of a man he looked up to growing up. Morgan's aunt asked if I knew what Judd meant, which I did not. She looked it up and said that is it a form of Jude and means "thanks"... we got a little teary eyed when we heard that. His name was perfect! Isaac was the name that Morgan and Josh had chosen, from the bible story because this adoption was going to be a great sacrifice on the part of our birth parents. So his name sake means "Thanks" and "Sacrifice" (eventhough Isaac means "to laugh", to us it mean the prior). Morgan's caseworker came that afternoon and talked about how the placement would go the next day. We said goodbye around 4pm and left the hospital.

Leaving the hospital was hard! We had been here before... saying goodbye to our birth mom the night before placement, thinking and hoping the next day we would have a new addition to our family. The only problem was that the last time it didn't go through, it was a little like deja vue. Although, we did feel more confident this time around, and Morgan was much more prepared, we were still uneasy.

Wednesday morning arrived... we wasted time running errands, going to breakfast and packing up the house. We were told to be at the agency (where all the paperwork would be done) around 2pm... What a roller coaster of a day that was! I have a little perspective on the second coming now... because I understand what "Great and Dreadful" mean. In the end it was great to have Judd, and dreadful to watch Morgan and Josh silently walk out of the room.

Those few hours we spent at LDS Family Services with Morgan and her family, and Josh and his family are engraved in my mind forever. Judd has the most amazing birth parents, and we have acquired the most amazing friends. We are eternally grateful for their sacrifice, for them loving Judd so much as to want to give him more than they knew they could.

Judd is an amazing little guy, so sweet and loving. He is loved by so many people and some who haven't even met him! We are a very lucky family. The trials we go through in life are meant to bring us closer to our Father in Heaven, and to strengthen our testimony in Jesus and His Atoning sacrifice for us; while my faith is not perfect, it has been strengthened. I know that Heavenly Father knows me, knows what I can and cannot do, and he loves me so much. The last 5 years have been a struggle but I have received so many blessings during that struggle... and the greatest blessing has been Judd. He is the icing on my cake!

Since we were in California, we had to get clearance to leave the state and clearance to enter Colorado. We had found out that my grandmother's funeral was going to be on Saturday, just 2.5 days (and an 11 hour drive) away. We were so blessed because we got clearance to leave California on Wednesday. Because we were leaving so abruptly (we thought we would be in San Diego for at least two weeks) we asked if Josh and his family would like to go to breakfast Thursday morning; they said yes. We met at their hotel and were told that Morgan was going to meet us. I was so excited to see her, but very nervous for her sake... would she be okay to see Judd? Let me just say, breakfast was outstanding... and I don't mean the food (although that was delicious too). Seeing both our birth parents and their families again was so nice. I remember thinking as Morgan left the room Wednesday night after she placed Judd in my arms, "You don't have to go... Stay!" I didn't know when or if I would see her again... and here we were the very next morning together. We had a very enjoyable time before leaving San Diego on our way to Vegas.

We got into Vegas about 5pm Thursday evening and had dinner with all of Tommy's family. It was really nice to introduce them to Judd and share this wonderful experience with them. Friday afternoon we drove to Salt Lake (and received clearance from Colorado to come home, yeah!) and we attended the funeral Saturday afternoon. Having Judd there was a tender mercy for me, I just couldn't be sad. He also made the plan of salvation all the more real to me. My mom kept saying they were praying that Heavenly Father would give a life for a life, and that is just what he did. I didn't take many pictures at the funeral, because it wasn't about Judd it was about my wonderful grandma... but I did get one of my grandpa holding him. As we were leaving Sunday morning he said that Judd needed to stay with him because he needed a companion, it was very tender.

Needless to say, it was probably the most emotional and crazy week of my life, but also one of the most wonderful. Adoption is a remarkable blessing for all involved. Morgan's mother, at one point, told me "thank you" ... I felt so undeserving of thanks, I just wanted to give it. But it was a Win/Win situation for all involved.

I had to take a picture of his skinny little legs poking out of his (0-3m) onesie. 4days old

Five days old. At Aunt Lynn's house before driving to SLC. One of my favorite pictures!

Aunt Lynn holding Judd

Another picture I couldn't pass up! His skinny naked body!!

Papa and Nana holding him for the first time

(Great) Grandma LaVee with Graham and Judd

Tommy, Judd and Grandma LaVee

Nana holding Judd. She was so excited to add another grandbaby to the family!

(Great) Grandpa holding Judd before driving home.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T00:09:00.001-06:00

So, I was blog happy tonight... It's about time, I know, I know! But I figured I should at least say Happy Halloween before the day is done.
I tend to have a love/hate relationship with Halloween... not sure why but I do. It could be that my mom really dislikes it (almost to the point of hatred). I was about 10 when trick or treating was banned from our house, instead my mom would buy us one big bag of candy - of our choice - and we would watch a movie (turn off all the lights and not answer the door... yes... we were THAT house). It was not my favorite way to spend Halloween as a child, but what are you gonna do? But I find myself not really liking Halloween but for completely different reasons.

1. Graham really wants to go trick or treating BUT hates dressing up. It is a FIGHT every year!! We tell him if he wants candy, he has to dress up... So he does. But there are tears ever year. I am close to calling it quits! I think he is embarrassed dressing up, like he thinks he looks foolish or something (he is too young to be feeling that way!! That comes later in life haha). Once he sees other kids dressed up, he is good to go - but getting to that point... I almost lose it!

2. Graham and I love sweets and have NO self control. It is a fight to keep his hands out of the candy jar so I hide it. The only problem is that I know where it is "hidden", so I end up eating it! Ahh! Just say no! Just say no!!

3. It is expensive! The costumes, ridiculous. The candy, OUTRAGEOUS!

But we still do it. I think I go through phases of this love/hate thing I have for Halloween... this year is hate, next year will probably be love (I already have costume ideas... weird, right?). When Graham was two, it was a "love" year... I made him a cute (and simple!!) Die - the singular of dice - costume. When he was three: Hate - he wore the die costume from the year before. Age 4: Love... we grew his hair out and he was Wolverine (Hugh Jackman from the movie not the cartoon blue and yellow one). This year at age 5... Hate! He was Wolverine again - except I procrastinated figuring out what he was going to be (because of the hate thing) and his hair was too short, so he got a wig - which was mediocre, he was much cuter when it was his own hair last year... but do I really care? Not so much :) Same claws, jacket, and dog tags... new white shirt and pants. pretty easy.

Also being on Sunday this year, I was less into it. We kept going back and forth trying to decide if we let him go trick or treating. We decided not to, and I am really glad. I mean at church we had a 3-ward trunk or treat and he got plenty of candy there (plus we bought some for kids that came to our house -and have a TON left over). We told him that Sunday was a special day and we weren't going to go trick or treating BUT he could hand out the candy to the kids that came to our house. He made sure that we wouldn't be giving out HIS candy and then was totally keen on the idea. Every time our doorbell would ring tonight (which was only like 10 times) he was so excited! He would run to the door (still in his church clothes mind you) and hand out candy to the kids dressed up. I am really glad we made the decision we did (especially because I didn't have to do the "I don't want to wear my costume" meltdown again), and that Graham was still able to enjoy Halloween by handing out candy. (I don't want to be a complete hag and not hand out candy to the kids in the neighborhood)

So Happy Halloween...

Below are pics from yesterday... you can see his sheer joy and excitement to be dressed up (he almost went as a die again! lol) Wig is an adult one... so it looks kinda ridiculous, but oh well :) That means Tommy could be Wolverine too :)

Happy Birthday

2010-10-31T23:19:00.000-06:00

Graham's birthday was very low key this year... Since we recently moved, I have not been very motivated to do anything, let alone put a party together. Luckily, Graham didn't mind at all. Maybe next year we will do a party :)

We invited my family over and had cake and ice cream, and then did presents. Graham had been asking all day to open his presents, so he was really excited when everyone arrived!! He didn't even want cake or ice cream (if you know my child at all, you know that is very strange!!)

I made a snake cake that I copied from my sister-in-law. I wanted to use fondant like she did but we forgot to go get some... and since his bday was on a sunday, no dice. But we made do... and Graham loved it. He even brought down his stuffed snake so I could look at it while I was frosting the cake (hence the white stripes)

Blowing out his candles.... one. at. a. time.

I did two cake flavors: the kids was fun-fetti and the adult's was red velvet (very gruesome, I know lol)

No one wanted the head, which I thought was weird. I don't think it ever got eaten.

And of coarse Graham got spoiled! He got a big floor puzzle, of who else? But of coarse Thomas!

How to Train Your Dragon movie- we love it at our house!

And Mavis, the train

He also got Hiccup and Toothless from said movie. He got nerf guns, and more trains, a CD player (which I am already reporting he has broken the antenna off...), a remote control truck and some clothes.

He was very grateful for everthing he got and shared VERY well with his cousins.

I really can't believe he is already 5. I know that is totally cliche to say, but it is so true. He still asks me to carry him (which I do, even though he is almost 50lbs!!), lay with him in bed, he says he "Needs me". All things that tell me he is still my little guy...However, I know he is growing up.

The worst part about his birthday was his 5 year old shots. He went last tuesday and got four. It was much harder than when he was a baby, because this time he looked at me (while I was pinning him down) with tear filled eyes saying "Stop! You are hurting me" That is WAY worse than the screams of an infant. THEN, he was practically crawling for two days because he was in so much pain. His leg was rock hard, red, and swollen... Poor guy! I totally bribed him with donuts if he was good (there was a Winchells across the street) and to be honest, he didn't even have to be good - he would get the donut regardless. It was really just to help him be tough and brave, which he was. I even had to help him with his pants and underwear when he had to go to the bathroom because just pulling them down hurt his legs too much... I am glad that is over (until he is 11 that is... at least he has several years to "recover").

Though I love this kid with all my being, Graham is actually going through a rough stage for me right now. But I need to remember to enjoy it. I was talking with a friend the other day and remembering the ease of high school life, but I realized that the challenges I had then, really felt like challenges. In the future I will look back to now and remember the ease of having one child who was five and wishing I could go back. I guess our perspective changes once our situations change. I am trying to enjoy all of the time I get with him because before I know it, he won't be 5 anymore. I hope that I never look back and wish I would have enjoyed him more. I love my son so much, I love being a mom. It is the best blessing I could ever ask for!

Happy Birthday Graham! I love you!

Big Helper

2010-10-31T20:57:00.000-06:00

We have a split rail fence at our house and were needing to put chicken wire up so our beloved Sophie wouldn't crawl under to chase bunnies... and believe me, she would. Once at my parents house she was in the backyard for much of the day, which she didn't like.... she dug a hole by their gate and crawled under it because she wanted to get out. I got home and she was wandering around in the front yard. Another time, she was in her kennel while I was away at work, and she broke it and got out.

So, needless to say, I know it is in her. We were in the house for a few days before we put up the wire and the front door was open quite a bit while we were moving, and sure enough, we would let her out in the backyard and she would come through the front door. haha that stinker!

Here is Tommy (above) and my mom (below) hard at work

But the biggest helper of all...

Bob the Builder

Oh wait, that's Graham

He did this all himself! He came out said he wanted to help and we told him he had to get shoes on. He comes back out with his snow boots, hard hat and tools. He gave me and my mom a hard hat to wear as well - safety first!

I love Graham, he makes me laugh and smile every day!!

OCD Much?

2010-10-31T20:43:00.001-06:00

I have some, let's call them, "organizational tendencies". I like things organized and to be in their place. Well Graham has some wooden train tracks, OK he has A LOT of wooden train tracks and trains. He used to have a plastic box that was able to house all of them... until Graham and his cousins decided to play inside of it (why is it that kids feel they MUST get into every box??? Doesn't seem like that much fun to me!!). So right now they are in a file box and they don't fit very well. SO because of my "organizational tendencies" I sort and stack the tracks based on shape and size so they fit nicely in the box. It takes much more time but they all fit. Graham has observed this many times when I help him clean up.

About a month ago, he runs into my room and says "Mom come look what I did"

I come and find this...

He had sorted and stacked his train tracks...

and put them nicely in their box.

The funny thing is that I usually just throw these tracks in the box because there are not many of them. This was all Graham's doing...

What have I done to my son?

I hope that he does mantain some of my organizational qualities, just not to the point of obsession :)
(he has only done this once, so I am probably in the clear!)

Go Rockies

2010-10-31T20:24:00.000-06:00

My brother called on Labor Day and asked if we wanted to go to the Rockies game... His brother in law had gotten 14 free tickets. We jumped at the opportunity and we got the last three tickets. It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining - and luckily we were in the shade because it would have been hot otherwise!!

The Rockies we playing the Philies and it was a great game. The Philies had a couple of big errors that we were able to capitalize on... It's just too bad they couldn't make the playoffs. Maybe next year!

Daddy and Graham

"CHARGE"

why do we yell "charge" at baseball games?

My brother and nephew, Isaac.

Isaac wasn't so sure about the cotton candy at first :)

There was a family sitting in front of us that were so nice. Graham was sitting with Tommy and told him"Your Fired!"

(one of his new favorite things to say) And then and came to sit with me.

The guy in front of us, pulls out a balloon and makes a balloon animal and gives it to Tommy. He said no dad should hear he is fired, so he was helping him out. Well, it worked... Graham promptly left my lap to go sit back with his dad and admire his balloon dog. He continued to make balloons for all the kids around. He was such a nice man and made our kids day. I love that there are still people like him in the world today!

All in all, it was a perfect day and perfect game!

I Want to Be Like Dr. Suess, While Wearing a Hat or Riding a Moose

2010-10-31T19:08:00.000-06:00

Whenever I read Dr. Seuss books,
     Tommy gives me quizzical looks.

It's all because I start to rhyme,
   After every book
                           EVERY time!

    He rolls his eyes and gives a smile,
Because I rhyme on.... for quite a while.

        "I just can't help myself!" I say
And I continue to rhyme away...
In fact,
      I think I could go on all day!

My dream one day is to write children's stories
    And they'll hit "Best Seller" with all their glories.

I'm sure Dr. Seuss will me, inspire
     And my imagination will catch fire.

    Until that day, I'll continue to read
Dr. Seuss to all my seed.

Your stuff is probably not worth that much

2010-10-22T09:44:00.000-06:00

Last night I was browsing Craigslist. Originally I was searching for bunk beds but then got distracted. I began looking at every piece of furniture. I find it extremely hilarious how people think they can get insane amounts of money for old outdated pieces of... well, you know. I mean come on people you can't use the words 'Vintage' or 'Antique' if it is just old and outdated. I love that people write, "we are updating and this isn't the color scheme we chose"... to me that says "the color of this sofa is hideous". I just kept looking last night and laughing. There was someone selling a doll house, now it was a fairly nice one, and here is the kicker: they stated they were selling it for only $50 less than what they paid for it (I think they bought it for $150, and where selling for $100) and it was not only used (not meaning that it was in terrible condition but that they bought it for their girls to play with it, and I am sure it fullfilled its purpose) BUT the ad also said the garage was broken and the roof was colored on.
Anyway, I just had a fun time laughing last night at all the ridiculous euphamisms I read on Craigslist. I totally get it that the quality of stuff on there is not always great, people are just trying to get rid of their stuff... all I am saying is be realistic in pricing. We sold a sofa last year for $200 which would go great with a country style home (not our style and it was given to us early in marriage), it was 6 years old but rarely sat on... it really was in great condition... I saw sofas last night listed for more than $200 that you could not PAY ME to take! I'm just sayin...

Church was awesome!!

2010-10-17T15:44:00.000-06:00

So today our ward got really lucky. We were spiritually fed (at least I certainly was!) by a General Authority. President Beck the General Young Men's President came to the Denver area on Friday to do some YM training with the leaders. Tommy went to the training yesterday morning and said that it was terrific.
My ward was lucky because we were one of two wards chosen in the metro area for him to visit and speak. Him and his wife spoke in Sacrament meeting and it was so uplifting. I especially liked Sister Beck's talk. She started talking a little about when they were called to Brazil, her husband was called as the Mission President down there. It just so happens that my brother was serving his mission in Brazil at that time. (My brother was really excited that he got to go out to dinner with them on Friday night). Sister Beck actually mentioned my brother, saying that she was so grateful how welcoming he was when they come. She talked about the trials she watched the missionaries endure, and talked about how important it was to go through those. She mentioned her own trials early in her marriage. They had tried to have children for 7 years before they were able to adopt their daughter, after they had more children. She said that during those 7 years there were times that she felt Heavenly Father wasn't hearing her prayers. She said that she learned after the fact that He was listening and was in the process of answering her prayers (it just didn't happen immediately). I have heard many times that things will happen when they are supposed to and that we are to learn from our trials. But she said something that stood out to me and was more profound to me. She said that God had a plan for her children and certain things for them to learn, and for those things to happen she had to wait those 7 years. It seems so obvious and simple but it was just what I needed to hear. I know that God's ways are not my ways, they are far better, but at times I forget that and just want my way. I do know that God is aware of me and has a plan for me, my family, and my future children. What a great talk!
President Beck has a funny sense of humor! He said that everyone should get the opportunity to speak in General Conference, once... We all laughed! He also said we should all get the opportunity to sit in a meeting with the Quorum of the 12. He related some experiences that Elder Scott and Elder Oaks said in one of their meetings about the sacred nature of the Sacrament. He talked a lot about the Sacrament, and the Aaronic Priesthood and just how sacred the sacrament was, and that the duties of the YM in preparing the Sacrament are sacred as well.
Then I went with my brother so he could introduce me and I talked a little with Sister Beck. I thanked her for her message, telling her it was something I really needed to hear. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug and said that everything would work out. That our perspectives in the mist of trial are much different than after the trail has passed. She said that I will have the opportunity in the future to help others in their trials. It was a tender mercy for sure!
The youth had a combined second hour meeting and since I was just called last week into the Young Womens, I had the privilege to listen to that too. They gave the youth the opportunity to ask questions and they gave answers. What was an awesome surprise as well is that the Hillier's were also present. When we moved out of our last ward/stake our Stake President was Brent Hillier. In the April Conference he was called to be an Area 70. I got to serve with his wife, Klaudette, in YW and also in the Relief Society Presidency. She is one of my all time favorite people and it was so awesome to see and hear from her, she even sat with us in Sacrament Meeting.
Anyway, it was a great Sunday. Very uplifting. And I just wanted to make sure I wrote it down and remembered what I heard and how I felt.
The Church is TRUE!

David Beck, General Young Men's President

Please Add Our Button

2010-10-07T23:24:00.002-06:00

Over the last two years, many of you have asked how you could help us in the adoption process. The biggest thing anyone can do for us, is to spread the word. Adoptive couples are chosen by the birth parents directly and how will they ever find us if they don't know we are here?

And here is one of the EASIEST ways to spread the word:

Add Our Button To Your Blog

That's it!! The html code is located on the right sidebar, just copy and paste.

And hopefully all those "blog stalkers" (and the people you know) will click our button and will tell others about us.

Thank you for your support, it means a lot!

HELP! Brain Shutting down, can't read HTML

2010-09-29T06:53:00.000-06:00

Ok, I need some help!

I have been trying to make an "Adoption Button" (that all of you can put on your blogs, wink wink) and am obviously having some trouble. As you can see the link is to the right, but for some reason I can't attach the picture. I am sure I just have the html wrong, but I don't have the brain power to figure it out right now. I am using a file I uploaded to Photobucket, and *I think* I may be using the wrong code from there, but really...who knows what I am doing wrong!

So, I am sure that one of you know how to do this, and you will help a "Sister" out...

(and then you will add the button to your page, right?!)

Thanks!

Moving Day

2010-09-29T06:45:00.001-06:00

So today is the big day!!

(Ok technically we close today and Tommy and I are going to be moving some stuff to the house today. Tomorrow is the "Official Moving Day"

However, THIS is the day when we can actually put

OUR stuff in OUR house!)

It actually feels pretty unreal. We have been "in between" houses for quite a while, so the thought of moving into our own place seems almost foreign. But it is a language I am loving, that is for sure!

My parents have been so wonderful to put up with us for so long. I am sure it was hard on them to not have their own space... we did kind of take over. (Before I started packing two days ago, I was thinking 'No Biggie, we don't have that much stuff here, most of it is in storage' While that is true, most of our stuff is in storage, I was shocked to see how much CRAP we had here. I joke that we will need to have a garage sale when we are all moved in! haha)

But hopefully we weren't too much of a nuisance.

Graham would only occasionally go into their room in the middle of the night... I would only occasionally forget to move my laundry to the dryer... Tommy and I would only occasionally take one of their parking spots... Sophie would only occasionally scratch at the door to be let back in...

And hopefully what we contributed helped if we were complete annoyances

Sometimes I would make dinner... Sometimes Tommy would mow the law... Sometimes I would clean the house... Sometimes Tommy would do the dishes... Always Graham would give hugs and kisses when my parents were leaving...Sometimes I would pick weeds... Sometimes Graham would sweep the rocks outside...

But I am sure we all are very excited for this day to FINALLY be here!

I will miss the "free rent" though...

(and if you want to help, come on by... not sure what I will have you do, but I am sure there is something to do! Or if you just want to come see it... that's ok too)

Kids have nothing to hide!

2010-09-27T23:30:00.001-06:00

So a couple weeks ago we met some friends from preschool at Chick-Fil-A

Graham had quite a blast playing with his two buddies from last year (they are in different classes this year)

It was right during the lunch rush, and Graham runs past our table toward the front counter and yells

"I have to go pee!"

(yeah, it was loud)

Then he runs toward the bathroom.

I got up to go with him and he ran into the men's before I could catch him.

I knew the best thing was to stand by the door and wait for him

After a minute or so, he opens the door and begins telling me something.

I look at him and his pants are down around his ankles!!

I interrupted him and told him to pull up his pants

(I mean, people ARE trying to eat you know!)

He interrupts me to continue with what he wants to tell me, and then I interrupt him and tell him to

Pull Up His Pants!

This back a forth goes on a few more times and then I concede.

I listen to what he has to say, then I tell him to pull up his pants.

He says "ok" as he shuts the door....

but not before his two buddies run in there with him.

I continue to wait outside, knowing Graham is done.

All I hear is three little boys laughing and making noise.

Finally, I had to knock on the door to tell them to come out... I really hope they didn't destroy the bathroom, but I guess I will never know!

This story just reminded me of the innocence of children, Graham had no problem coming out of the bathroom with his pants down to his shoes to tell me something. I wish we could all be that confident (or oblivious) of what others are thinking about us!

How to Uplift

2010-09-17T01:02:00.002-06:00

After my last post, I have been wondering how to follow that up... Like I said, I am a fairly optimistic person and I feel like I need a happy post... mostly for me but also for all you out there that are tired of seeing me whine about the hand I have been dealt :) Through all of this I have learned a lot. Tommy gave me a priesthood blessing a few days after we returned home. In it I was told to count my blessings. Over the last month (and one day, but who is counting?) I have done that more than I ever have. I have found joy and happiness in what I do have, and remembering how truly blessed I am has made this easier (no, not easy... easier). Everyday I find things that are so small (seeming insignificant probably to others) that truly are blessings in my life. I think in my mind "I am so grateful for..." I guess that is one thing I have learned from this, I have learned to appreciate all the small (and large) blessings I have. I dare all of you to do this throughout your day, and I promise that you will be more happy (even if things aren't exactly going your way).
So I decided to make a list... now, I am starting this list at 11:42pm so keep in mind, I am tired and this is not comprehensive by any means (and they are in no particular order, I am just typing as the thoughts come).

I am Grateful for:

1. My husband. There have been many a time that I gloat that I have the best husband out there... well, I really feel that way. He is not perfect and neither am I, but we are perfect for each other. I am grateful that he will hold me when I cry. I am grateful that he picks up my slack and will do the laundry or whatever else needs to be done. I am grateful that he is an amazing dad... it really says something when your son cries every morning when Tommy leaves for work. I am so grateful that he honors his Priesthood, that at any time I can ask for a blessing and know that he is worthy to deliever one. I am grateful that he is extremely service oriented - he is a great example to me of sacrifice. I am grateful that he talks to me, about everything. I am grateful for the way we are able to communicate and try to work through a problem or struggle together.

2. Graham. How lucky am I that I have this awesome kid around all day?!?! And that he calls me "Mom"?!?! I am grateful that he will give me hugs and kisses whenever I ask for it (and even when I don't). I am grateful that he is so passionate. I am grateful that he is loving and accepting of everyone. I am grateful that he wants to be a big brother. I am grateful for his temper tantrums, that I can help him to learn and grow, just like my Father in Heaven is trying to help me learn and grow (when I throw my temper tantrums). I am grateful for his laugh, because it makes me laugh. I am grateful for his tender heart.

3. Faithful friends. Most of the guidance and comfort I have recieved is from those who understand. While it makes me sad that they have been through similiar situations, there definitely is strength in numbers. I love each of them. I am grateful for friends who have not been through situations like this but have reached out to me and have helped me carry the load.

4. Family. Who know there is nothing to say, but are just there for us. I am grateful that they make us laugh and help us forget our sorrows. I am grateful that we are sealed. That we will be together forever, even in the life after death.

5. Email. Yeah, NEVER thought I would say that!! I usually stay away from all things that have to do with technological communication, most people get my voicemail before they ever talk to me for this reason; however, email has been one of my saving graces through all of this. When I knew I couldn't talk to anyone about it (because no one would be able to understand a word through the blubbering) I could write... and they responded! In the same breath, I am thankful for Facebook. I am thankful that I was able to communicate privately with friends that otherwise I would not have been able to.

6. Prayer. There have been many times I don't even know what to pray for and I tend to ramble and get distracted, but I still know that Heavenly Father is listening. He knows me, loves me and is trying to help me get through this trial. Many people don't have that knowledge, that we are Children of God. I think it has been so engrained into me that I don't fully appreciate the peace that knowledge brings. I am grateful to know I am a daughter of God and He loves me.

7. Jesus. Enough said, right? Without Him, I wouldn't get out of bed. I am grateful for a dear friend that taught me more about the Atonement of my Savior. That taught me, to find Christ; to read of Him, and learn of Him, is to find peace and healing. I have always known how the Atonement helps the sinner, but I have now learned how He heals the broken heart. Matt 11:29 "...learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls." I am grateful for that new knowledge, it is something that I will always cherish.

8. My Calling. I am a Relief Society teacher and I have been preparing my lesson for the end of the month. It is Pres. Uchtdorf's talk on Patience... how fitting! But it is an unbelievable talk and I have found peace in his words (if you haven't read it, do!!! It was from April's Priesthood session). Patience is Godly.

9. My House. In less than two weeks we close on our new house. I am grateful for the opportunity we have to buy a home. It has been a blessing everyday that I go to see it, and something new is happening... the walls are painted, the cabinets are in, the carpet is laid. It has been something to look forward to even when I don't want to look forward. I am grateful for the road that God has taken us on the last year (or so) to get us where we are.

10. Sophie. My dog is so sweet and I think she has been extra lovey to me lately. I am grateful that she finally learned how to play fetch, it supplies Graham and I with hours of entertainment.

11. My Visiting Teaching Companion. Lori, You are Awesome! I am grateful that we stood in the middle of the street last night and talked for two hours about everything. I am grateful for the friendship that has grown because of your concern for me. I am grateful that I had someone at church, even when I thought I didn't.

12. A Past Relief Society President, and dear friend. Shelly, she is a rock and I pull strength from her. I am grateful that she sacrificed several hours from her life (on short notice) for me. I am grateful for all that she has taught me over the last 6 years, especially what she has taught me in the last month.

13. Cheap Berries. Seriously! I bought cheap berries and made Jam, and it made me happy when not much else would. I am grateful for the motivation I had to make Jam, I needed that and it definitely didn't come from myself!

14. Crisp Morning Air. I love fall and am grateful for the change of season. It actually seems fitting : a change of a season. It makes me think of Ecclesiastes (or the Beattles, whichever)

15. Caprese Salad for Breakfast. It's what I had today and it was delicious. It is one of my favorite things.

16. A Job. My own as well as Tommy's. I am grateful for how many new clients I have. I am grateful that I have been busy since I have been back from TX, I know it is a blessing from God. I am grateful for Tommy's job; that he can take a day off to go on Graham's field trip with us, for a knowledge of job security(as much as you can have right now at least), for the caring people that work with him, and that I am able to stay home with Graham because he is able to provide for our family.

17. My Personality. I know it is actually one of my "gifts". And what a gift it is to be able to (and want to) smile and to laugh.

... so it isn't much, and it isn't all... But I am so blessed. Counting your blessings does help uplift you, I can attest to that.

When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings; name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings; every doubt will fly,

And you will be siging as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.

Count your many blessings; money cannot buy

Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged; God is over all.

Count your many blessings; angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Count your blessings name them one by one.

Count your blessings see what God has done.

The Truth to the Question "How Are You?"

2010-09-06T00:27:00.000-06:00

I have a hard time opening up. I tend to be overly emotional about things, and cry more than I really need to. Over the last few weeks I have contemplated sharing my deepest emotions with the entire Internet, and here I am, writing this post. I try to be an optimistic person and stay strong even when I really just want to stomp my feet and scream "it isn't fair!!" (Maybe that is where my 5 year old gets it from)

The last several years of my life I have been met with trial and disappointment, one right after the other. Through it all I have maintained my composure and tried to learn or grow from these experiences. However, the last few weeks have really shaken my strong facade.

We had the very exciting experience to drive to San Antonio, TX to adopt a baby. We drove through the night and straight to the hospital to meet our birth parents and their baby. Oh, they were so wonderful! I was so excited to finally meet them, to hug them and tell them what amazing people they were. We all hit it off right away, everything was perfect. We got to hold a beautiful tiny infant in our arms and for the first time in a long time felt the joy that comes from child birth.
Before I go on, let me diverge for a while...Infertility makes you feel certain things that you wouldn't normally feel. I was usually very supportive of my (bazillion) friends around me popping out babies left and right. When asked when we would have more children I would make a joke about why we still only had one..."Graham is so wild, I am not sure I can handle more than him". That was just a lie. A lie that made the truth not hurt so much. I took the easy way out, no one really wanted to know why we only had one child anyway, did they? I guess I will never know. That ship had sailed and those conversations are far in the past. Infertility has made me more sensitive to "harmless" comments all around me. "This is the pregnant corner", "Do you want to take mine? He is driving me crazy!" "Are you going to have more kids?" "Don't you think he needs a sibling?" "I'm pregnant and it was an accident". The list could go on and on. I know that most of my family, friends, and associates don't understand what it is like and I try not to take it out on them. I have been pretty good at creating a thick skin these last 5 years, until now...
So we held this precious baby in our arms, thinking she would be coming home with us in just a few short days. After some much needed rest, we returned to the hospital toting gifts and clothing for our birth parents and the baby. We told our birth parents a name we had thought of, and they loved it. They thought it was so perfect they actually changed the birth certificate to reflect the name we had chosen verses the one they had picked just a few hours earlier. After a few hours we returned to our hotel to get some sleep. The next day I woke up more joyful than I have been in a very long time. It was not mere happiness, I could be happy from a good hair day or reading an uplifting article; it was pure joy. All of you who have held your "only hours old" baby know this feeling. As far as we knew, she was going to be ours; our birth parents made that very clear to us in the hospital. We returned that night. While in the hospital we tried to spend more time talking with our birth parents than doting over the baby, we wanted them to know that we cared about them, it wasn't just about adopting a baby. We were adopting them too. Even now, I call them "my" birth parents... They are a part of my life, though I may never see them again. When we left the hospital that night everything seemed great. We knew adoption was not an easy decision to make, nor one that would come without severe sadness for our birth parents. For the next day, they would sign a piece of paper that would relinquish their rights as parents. Easier said than done, and we found that to be true. Our third day in San Antonio we received a phone call at 7am telling us that our birth parents had changed their minds. I remember the first words out of Tommy's mouth "You're kidding me?!" It was all surreal, like one big mistake. The caseworker that gave us this devastating news told us we could pick up the gifts at the hospital. I had a feeling to go to the hospital then and there, I threw on some clothes and didn't even worry about brushing my teeth. When we arrived in the maternity ward we were met with antagonistic nurses. Just the night before they had been so kind and welcoming and now we received looks like "What are you doing here?" I am not sure what I was hoping would happen, I guess I at least wanted to say goodbye one last time. To us, this felt like a death. We would never see these three people again. Throughout the entire day, Tommy and I wondered how to go on, what happened, and WHY?
She was born exactly three weeks ago today. The first week being home was horrible. We would look at the pictures we took and long to go back a week. Then I started feeling better. I thought, wow, I am going to be okay. I felt like showering again, making dinner - yeah, I could do that. So many people told me I needed to grieve like this was a death. I had looked up the stages and it seemed like I had plowed right through them. Man was I wrong. Each day is a new day and I try to count all the little blessings in my life, it helps keep me grounded, it helps me to deal with the pain I feel. I feel really bad saying this, but this is the first time that I am not happy for those around me who are pregnant or just having children. I see strangers with their baby carriers and just want to scream. But the thing is, I have no idea what they went through to have that baby... It could have been a "surprise" pregnancy (which I tell myself that it wasn't to make myself feel better) but they could have gone through all that I have. Honestly, and here is my weak side shining through, it still gets to me and it still hurts. It hurts because I imagine myself carrying a three week old baby around and I am not. I am jealous. I want what they have so badly and have no way of making it happen on my own. I have to rely on someone to be so self-sacrificing that they would want more for their child than for themselves. Those souls are hard to come by.
I do want to make one thing completely clear, I still love my birth parents. Though I am hurt and frustrated by their decision I cannot make them my enemies. I wish they could realize what we could have given to her that they are not able to but I cannot change the past and I cannot make that decision for them. I know that they love their daughter very much, as do we. And every August 15 we will remember her, I am sure I will count her birthdays just like any parent that has lost a child.
Many people may say "It will happen when it is right" or something along those lines. Those words hold no hope for me. This is not the first failed adoption we have had, it is the third (this year). The previous ones fell through prior to the birth of the baby. I have heard many times in my life that the Holy Ghost is the only one that can bring peace; this adoption, this baby, was the first one that I felt peace about. It felt so right it couldn't be wrong. And yet, it did not happen.
I hope that we will have the opportunity to meet a birth mother that has the support she needs in order to place her baby for adoption. After what we have been through, it truly seems like a foreign concept. But we are keeping the faith, the faith that God knows us and knows where we have been. Faith that the confirmation from the Holy Ghost to continue with adoption means that we will one day be able to bring home a sweet spirit child into our home to raise. It is scary. We have to put ourselves out there again, but the hope that we can feel that much joy again is worth all the pain.

"Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It is something quite magical." -Nicole Kidman

Just Call Me "Sucker"

2010-09-04T11:33:00.001-06:00

So this morning I went to the airport to pick up my friend, Ashli

When we got to her house, I helped bring in some of her luggage.

Her husband says "Did you see those caterpillars?"

"Where?" we all replied...

And sure enough there were four caterpillars on their porch.

Knowing how much Graham would like to see them, I asked for a container...

Why do I do this to myself???

I know, it's because I love to see Graham light up :)

These are called American Dagger Caterpillars.

Supposedly the black "lashes" on their backs are poisonous...

as in they might cause skin irriation.

I told Graham that he couldn't touch these...

1. Because I don't want him to get a rash and

2. Because it would be cool if they turned into butterflies

I am thinking that they will probably die because Ashli said that she sprayed her porch with pesticides about a month ago...

and they aren't lookin' too good.

But really that is ok, because after I did some google research (don't you just LOVE google? I sure do!!!) I found out that it is actually a moth caterpillar...

this is what it will turn into...

So, maybe I am prejudice... I want our caterpillar that turns into a butterfly to live,

and the caterpillars that turn into moths I kinda want to perish... ok not kinda, hehe.

But who really wants more moths flying into their homes this year because they are attracted to the lights on inside...

Moths must not be very smart for this reason, because in our house they die (with help of coarse) very quickly

(on a side note, I also think deer are extremely dumb. We travel A LOT and always see deer remains on the side of the road, but do we ever see antelope remains? No! So deer and moths are dumb, antelope and butterflies... well, they are at least smarter than their counterparts)

As I was driving home with these caterpillars (and before I found out they would turn into these nasty fuzzy things pictured above) I was thinking about how excited Graham would be.

(and he was, he said these exact words "Thank you, thank you, thank you mommy! Thank you for the surprise!")

So that is why I am a sucker. I am a sucker because I love to see Graham happy. He was close to joyful at the sight of these little yellow insects...

But I also have realized something...

I was excited too.

I have been blaming preschool for his love of all things "wild" but maybe he actually gets it from me. It is really difficult to admit this, but I think I am (partly... I am not accepting all the responsiblity) the cause of this "love"

I guess it could be worse :)

All Critters Welcome!

2010-08-31T17:24:00.000-06:00

Ever since Graham studied bugs in

Preschool last year, he has been obsessed with them.

Pretty much every morning you can find him collecting Rollie Pollies into his

Ziploc Tupperware where he has made a mini habitat

(which they all end up dying anyway)

Last Saturday Tommy was outside about to mow the lawn and saw a Caterpillar on the sidewalk.

He went to get Graham, knowing he would love it.

Last year in preschool, they also watched the metamorphosis of a catepillar into a butterfly,

so between learning about bugs and this.... Tommy knew Graham would want to see the catepiller.

Graham brought the catepillar in the house and made a atrium for it as well in a

Ice Cream jug... he put twigs and leaves in it.

We did a Google search to see what kind of catepillar it was...

It is an Western Tiger Swallowtail

(here is the Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly)

We tried to talk Graham into putting it back on the Willow Tree outside so it wouldn't die...

Guess who won that fight?!

Yep... it was

Graham!

I know you are all completely shocked

So below is our "Critter Corner" You can see his Rollie Pollie blue Ziploc Tupperware,

His ice cream pail, with his catepillar

And yep, last but not least....

His Tadpole Habitat

can you guess where he got the tadpole?? You guessed it!

PRESCHOOL!!

(at least I know he learned a lot at school, and really loved it!)

So Tommy and I figured the catepillar would die...

but surprisingly he started making his chrysalis

I talked to Graham's teacher and she said that if we handled the catepillar too much

it might die in the chrysalis... so we will see if he makes it.

Let me just say:

I am WAY more excited about the butterfly than the frog... but that is a completely different post...

(maybe on a different day)

I'm Jammin!

2010-08-31T16:41:00.000-06:00

Peach or Strawberry anyone??

Surprisingly this was the first time I have ever tried peach jam...

It was amazing!!

Next I want to buy some Mango Nectar from Costco and make

Peach Mango Jam...

now that would be heavenly!!

Don't Your Feet Hurt??

2010-08-31T16:31:00.001-06:00

Okay, so yesterday on the way to drop Graham off at school... we saw a guy running...

completely normal right??

He didn't have a shirt on, but lots of guys run shirtless...

but here is the weird part...

He didn't have shoes on!

And it is not like we were in a neighborhood and he might have just been walking down the street barefoot...

It was at a busy intersection! Strange!

He must really hate shoes!

Yummy Toast Tomorrow!

2010-08-26T23:57:00.000-06:00

*Note to self... don't start making homemade jam at 8:30pm*

So this week at Sunflower Farmers Market they are having some bomb diggity deals on berries. We just opened our last strawberry jam from last summer, so I thought I am going to seize the deal and buy some berries and make some jam. I bought $20 worth... 6lbs of Strawberries, 2.25lbs of Blackberries, and 1.5lb of Raspberries. My first batch (I only made one tonight but have plans for two more: strawberry, and peach) was a mixed berry.

Here are the blackberries before I mashed them. They were HUGE! Some were almost as long as my pinkie finger... yeah, no joke!

Here are the berries all mashed and ready to be cooked.

They looked so good I wanted to can (haha get it? "can") the whole jam idea and

just pour this over some ice cream

Here are the sugary berries all hot and ready for their jars.

I couldn't believe how "blood red" it got... Must have been the raspberries

Almost ready for their bath

(do you notice the clock? yeah, that is 10:15pm... what am I thinking????)

Boiling away.... only 9 minutes... can I wait that long??

Doesn't it just look delicious! I can't wait until morning to have some on my toast...

Sweet! Morning is really only about 10minutes away!

Ok I really need to go to bed!

Break Your Heart

2010-08-26T16:41:00.001-06:00

So everytime the song "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz comes on the radio Graham looks at me with a big smile on his face and says:

"It's OUR song!"

... "I'm gonna break break break break break break your he-art...

whoa whoa whoa-o"

He is just like me, hums to the songs when we don't know the words! (Or we just make up words! haha)

(if you don't know the song it is on my playlist at the bottom of the page)

Graham's School Pictures

2009-12-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

I love his "ham face!!" I can only imagine they told him to "say cheese".... and this is what they got.

But I love it!!

What to Write About???

2009-11-03T10:20:00.004-07:00

The last couple of days I have been thinking how neglected our blog has been the last couple months. I was thinking of all the things that have happened and what I should write about...

Well, this morning a "Blog Worthy" event happened....

Let me start at the beginning.

Peter had dropped off Dakota and I had asked Graham to go up and get the Legos I had built for the boys to play with yesterday.

I then went downstairs to go to the bathroom.

I heard Graham crying... really hard.

My first thought, "great the boys are already fighting over the toys."

Graham then comes downstairs and his face is all bloody!

He proceeded to tell me he fell down the stairs and got hurt. I carried him to the kitchen and grabbed a clean towel and held it to his chin; which now had a lovely split in it and was bleeding all over the place. (at which point Dakota told me that Graham was hurt and that his Legos broke... which was pretty funny!)

For a split second I thought "Maybe I can butterfly bandage this." But I knew it needed stitches.

I quickly put on my shoes and coat, put on Graham's coat and put both boys in the car.

Tommy met us at Parker Adventist Hospital. That comforted Graham to have his daddy there, Tommy took Graham and checked him in.

Well, long story short.... we are home, Graham is doing great.

Right before they stitched up his chin (yes, he was still in his jammies!)

They put numbing gel on a cotton swab and "taped" it to his head...

Graham and Dakota watching Beauty and the Beast waiting for his chin to numb and for the Doctor to come in.
They were both such good sports and Graham was such a trooper!
At one point he said "it's ok, I'm tough. I'm tough"

The staff gave them each a Beanie Baby and a Book... that definitely made the entire experience easier! Gotta love Parker Adventist!!

I will never say I have
nothing to blog about again!!

Shopping Cart

2009-08-02T23:49:00.004-06:00

So, today my family got together to celebrate my moms birthday... which is actually on Tuesday.
For her birthday she asked us to make a "mixed tape" of songs that reminded us of her. Well, that got us reminscing of all the songs we listened to on family road trips. Many songs were from Barry Manilow... at the copa copa cabana... Billy Joel... uptown girl... and so on. Of coarse as we got older the music changed, as my parents allowed us to control the radio a little more.

My aunt Amy had made me a tape of Ace of Base... I mean who doesn't love "I Saw the Sign" or "All That She Wants"??? I mean really?!! *and when we listened to it on family trips my dad would do this wierd, rave like hand/arm dance thing while driving - pretty dang funny to watch!!-... it became the "Dad needs a pick me up to drive" music) Anyway, she left a little suprise song at the end that I guess she thought I would like... here it is

It just makes me laugh! I used to have the entire song memorized... ok, I still do... got a problem with that?

How Do You Work Out???

2009-07-30T13:49:00.005-06:00

One of the funniest things happened yesterday!

Imagine if you will...

You are sitting at your desk doing some work on the computer...

WHEN...

Your son comes up the stairs to surprise you...

BUT...

You see that he has pulled his t-shirt over his head but left his arms in...

AND...

You tell him he is silly and he starts to laugh.

SO...

You go back to work...

THEN...

A piece of clothing is flung at your head and falls to your lap...

SO...

You look down and find the article is not the shirt you were expecting it to be...

BUT...

Your son's underwear instead...

THEN...

From behind you, you hear a noise...

AND...

You turn to see what it is.

THEN...

You see your son COMPLETELY naked, working out on the elliptical!

SO...

How do you work out???

True Story!

I took pictures...

BUT...

I don't want my son naked on the internet...

BUT...

They. Are. HIL-AR-I-OUS!

Family Reunion at Gilbert Ranch

2009-07-22T17:47:00.008-06:00

In June all of Tommy's family got together at a ranch in central Nevada. I was thinking it would be pretty desolate there, but it was actually quite beautiful.

We first drove to Las Vegas and on the way there, instead of going I-70 to I-15 we decided to take a detour.

It did make our trip about an 1.5 hours longer (so it was 12.5 hours) but it sure was pretty... I think it is actually worth the extra time!

We drove through Zions National Park and it started pouring... and I mean POURING rain!

Below is a pic I took through the windshield. Do you see the waterfall? Well, that is not usually there... that is how hard it was raining!!!

Here is the barn at Gilbert Ranch in Nevada. It had a huge living area and a table that actually fit all of Tommy's family!

Here are the four bedrooms in the barn. Tommy's 3 sisters and 1 brother stayed in the barn.

Beautiful huh? We were really roughin' it!

This is the house that we stayed in with one of Tommy's sisters.

It was nice having some private space away from everyone, although I constantly

had bad dreams of Graham waking up in the middle of the night and

going out in the pond... it was really terrifying! I actually ended up sleeping on

the sofa by the kids.

This was our room

And this was our view

Graham and his cousin Drew at the chicken coop. Graham loved those chickens! He even went inside and collected eggs!

Tera, Tommy's sister, put together some crafts for the kids to do:

Decorating Visors

Tie-Dye T-Shirts

Graham was not really interested in crafts

Him and his cousin Drew played with a remote control 'digger' instead.

This is us on the little fishing boat, taking a little drive around the pond

Our niece, Rory, got in and we went for another spin.

Graham kept wanting to touch the water, so he would lean over - while holding my hand, of coarse! - and I would lean over the other way to balance.

There were rainbow trout in the pond and occasionally we would see them surface

There were probably 5 or 6 four wheelers, so Tommy and I went for a drive up

a steep path just north of the ranch.

This is a pic of us at the top of the trail

The view at the top of the trail... that is the side the ranch was on

It was so beautiful up there!

Who would have thought this was Nevada?!

The view from the other side of the trail. We followed the trail down this side

for a little bit before heading back.

Some of Tommy's family that had gone on this trail later that day, had an

encounter with a deer. It pretty much jumped OVER one of them on their 4-wheeler.

Pretty crazy!

Before dinner that first night, we went shooting. It was actually a lot of fun! I have shot

rifles before but never a hand gun. I thought the hand gun was WAY more fun!!!

I shot a 9mm and 22. The picture is of the 9mm.

I really liked the 22 because there was no kick back... but I could do a 9mm again

I'm pretty patriotic, huh?!

This is Tommy shooting the 9mm. He is a really good shot, so watch your back!

The next day we shot rifles. But we didnt' get any pictures of that. The one below is the

one I shot, an AR-15

This one Tommy shot, a 50 caliber rifle.

Let me just say... HOLY COW!!! That was a big gun!

Tommy's brother, Trent, was the first to shoot it (without any warning, I might add)

and the sound was absolutely deafening! You could actually feel the pressure

of the gun firing and I was like 3 feet away.

We had a really fun filled day and I am so grateful for Tommy's family and that we could spend time with them... and one of the greatest things is there was zero cell reception

and no internet. It truly was a getaway! Hopefully we can do it again!

Gilbert Ranch... The cold day

2009-07-22T17:20:00.003-06:00

The second day we were at the ranch it was pretty cold, especially since we weren't really prepared for cold weather. It was rainy most of the day and maybe 50 degrees. Most of us spent the day inside the barn eating, playing Rock Band or hanging out.

Tommy's sisters had planned a treasure hunt for the kids, so once it stopped raining it began.

Everyone piled into the four wheelers to the first clue.

At the first clue, the rip line by the pond.

Off to another clue

Graham holding one of the clues... obviously more interested in the chickens

The last clue was at the chicken coop. They had to walk 100 paces toward the forest.
They look so cute lined up!

Here they come, out of the mountains with their treasure. There was a bag for each kid with goodies inside. They were so excited about their treasures!

Rock Band had been on all day, and needless to say, the adults needed a little break. We turned on a movie for the kids, and this was Graham's seat of choice... yes, under the coffee table. Don't ask me!

Gilbert Ranch Family Pictures

2009-07-22T16:36:00.003-06:00

Tommy is one of six children in his family; all the sisters still live in Las Vegas and all the brothers have moved away. We live in CO (obviously), Trent lives in Seattle, and Tyler lives in Albany OR. So needless to say it is hard to get everyone together. They haven't all been together since Tommy's mom passed away 6.5 years ago. We had to have good documentation.... and the family has grown so much since then... 10 more grandkids and 1 more on the way

Tommy, Trent, Tyler, Jim Bob, Cherie, Traci, Tate, Tera

Yes, they all have "T" names, and no, we are not following that tradition

Papa and Nana with all the grandkids:

Front Row: Tricia, Jaxson, Hannah, Drew, Graham, Bryan. Middle Row: Baby Samantha, Jordyn, Papa, Rory, Nana, Payten, Parker, Rilee, Maddie. Back Row: Sydney, Harrison

The entire family in front of the barn

The family looking down at the pond

We are grateful to have such wonderful families that get along so well. When we left, I told Tommy that this vacation really made me miss being so close to his family. We have already planned to meet up with two of his sisters and their families in August in San Diego. SO excited for that!

Gilbert Ranch Last Day

2009-07-22T12:47:00.003-06:00

The last day we were at the ranch was Father's Day. We had a nice big breakfast then started packing and cleaning. Once we were done all the kids that wanted to ride the horses got to (including me!)

Graham had been obsessed with the horses the entire time we were there, he even fed them! I was really happy to see that he wasn't afraid of them.

Jordyn (w/ glasses), Rilee (pink hat), Sydney, Graham, and Uncle Jeca

Jordyn and Graham

The first round of rides

Jordyn and Graham again. Jordyn is such a great cousin!

Me and Madelyn taking our turn. Madelyn is such an animal lover! It was so fun to see how she interacted with all the animals on the ranch... which is a lot!

Rilee, Bryan, and Maddie.... The girls were pretending to pour Coke on Bryan.

They thought it was so funny and asked me to snap a pic

Picture from the Barn looking down at the pond

While packing up we put most of the little kids in the truck bed so we could get stuff done. They all stayed put, all we had to do was give them "loaded" water guns.

Drew and Graham.... are they related or what?!?!

We had such a fun time at the ranch and are hoping that we can all get together there every other year or so.

Father's Day at the Ranch

2009-07-22T12:23:00.005-06:00

For Father's Day we were at Tommy's family reunion in central Nevada. We had a great time at the ranch where we stayed!

I knew this year I had to make Father's Day special because the last two years were pretty bad. Two years ago we spent the day in the ER because I had torn my ACL, and last year I was away for cheerleading camp. Tommy was a great sport both years, but I felt really bad.

This year I helped Graham make a "I Love My Daddy" book. I was going to buy a book by the same title at Barnes & Noble but I thought this would be more personal. We had a page for all the reasons why Graham loves his dad and he colored the pictures. I was actually surprised he colored all the pages, since he doesn't really like coloring.

This is them reading it... Graham was really into it!

When I went shopping for Father's Day, Graham had mentioned he wanted to get daddy a treat. We were at the mall and there is a candy store there. I let Graham pick out the treat he wanted to give daddy.... Gummy Army Men.... He was also REALLY excited for daddy to share with him! He actually spoiled the surprise earlier in the week because he was so excited to partake of the yummy treats :)

Tommy got some shirts and cologne from me

Tommy smelling the cologne ( I wasn't sure if I bought the right one)

Tommy's entire family (this is just his siblings and their families... yeah it was a mad house, but lots of fun!) Our sister in law stopped at Burger King on the way to the ranch and had gotten all the dads crowns to wear. They were all good sports and wore them.

Graham and Tommy at the Father's Day Breakfast. Tommy would make a good king, don't you think?!

I hope this year Tommy had a good Father's Day. He is such a great father and husband! He is so supportive and helpful. I appreciate him probably more than he knows.

I love you, homey

(our little joke.... I misspelled 'honey' in an email once to him, and it just stuck!)

Phone Call

2009-07-06T23:57:00.002-06:00

Super cute thing happened tonight.

Graham and Noah are really good buddies... and they have been spending a lot of time together lately.

Today I babysat Noah and the boys had a really fun time. This evening I got a call from Sharla (Noah's mom) saying that Noah was having a rough time and that he wanted to talk to Graham.

So, I gave my cell to Graham... and there he goes having a little chat with Noah. It was so dang cute! (at least hi isn't getting phone calls from girls yet!!)

"..I'm a Big Kid.."

2009-05-31T14:52:00.006-06:00

These pictures are from December (08) but I wanted to document just how big and grown up Graham has gotten....

Looking at these reminds me of the Huggies Pull-Ups Commercials from the 90's.... I KNOW you remember... So as you are looking at these picks, sing along! (I have provided the lyrics for you)

I'm a big kid

Look what I can do!

I can wear big kid pants too!

And I can pull them off and on!

Mommy,

WOW!

I'm a big kid now!

A Good Laugh For All Mothers!

2009-05-31T14:03:00.005-06:00

I saw this on my friends blog. A couple days before seeing this, I had

"One of THOSE Days"...

YOU know --- when you want to climb in bed.... and NEVER come out....

or play "Hide and Seek" and either stay hidden or forget to seek...

... Well, if you are in need of a good laugh, here is it...

(I still laugh EVERYTIME I watch these-especially the first one!)

After showing this to Tommy, all afternoon we were singing "Bedtime and Naptime, and Bedtime and Naptime, and Bedtime and Naptime and..."

Hillary is much better than me, my alarm clock IS Graham... so that alone time she

was talking about... well, like I said she is better than me!

Chicken WHAT???

2009-05-28T23:03:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I made stuffed chicken for dinner. Tomatoes, spinach, herbs and cheese. To make sure it all stayed inside, I wrapped the chicken with thread. So, obviously, as it cooked it left little ridges in the chicken.

Graham kept saying he wanted a candy, we told him he had to eat his last bite of chicken.

He looked at it and said "A Butt"

Well, we couldn't help but laugh! I mean look at the picture! (He did still have to eat it though.)

Do We Really Need Them?

2009-05-28T22:00:00.007-06:00

So today was quite a day! It wasn't at all how I - or Tommy or Graham or my mom for that matter - had planned it! And you can totally think I am a complete jerk after reading this...

About 4am this morning Tommy woke me up (as much as possible, since it was so early and I am NOT a morning person) to tell me he was going to go to the hospital. Here is how the conversation went:

Tommy : (Whispering) Annie, I think I am going to go to the hospital...

Me : (barely awake/whispering) what? why?

Tommy : My stomach hurts really bad.

Me : (thinking... "Really?!?") where does it hurt?

Tommy : It hurts under my belly button

Me : Does it hurt on the right side?

Tommy : No

Me : Well, (yawn) it is probably not your appendix then. Was it something you ate? (actually thinking "I'm tired. Are you overreacting? I'm tired. I get cramps like this once a month and I don't wake you up. I'm tired.)

Tommy : It doesn't feel like that. They woke me up at 12 and have only gotten worse. I think I am going to go to Parker Adventist.

Me : Do you want us to go with you? ("Please no!")

Tommy : No (as he lays back down)

Me : (laying back down as well... I was just following his lead) Ok... (and I'm asleep)

So, by the time I wake up Tommy has left. I wondered to myself "did he go to work or to the hospital?" I check my phone and there is a text saying that he did check himself into the hospital. I asked him if he wanted us to go down there and wait with him and he said no (thankfully, because Graham would have been into everything and running around for sure!) I told him to keep me posted.

Now, I have been in the ER several times myself and I know how long it can take... So, Graham and I were still going to go with our original plans until we heard something from Tommy.... I mean, it could have been nothing, right?!? Yep, I said "could have been." I started getting ready for the day and had just turned off the water in the shower and Tommy calls.

'Did you get my text?"

"No, I was in the shower. What is up?"

"I have appendicitis, I am going in for surgery at 10:30"

(*note* those of you that know Tommy well, know that he is always - and I mean ALWAYS - making stuff up. Most people believe him, I admit he is pretty convincing! But I have learned to see through his "tricks" So, don't judge my response too badly...)

"Really? You're kidding, right?"

"No"

"Really, are you serious?"

"Yes, I am really going in for surgery"

"Really?"

"Yes"

"REALLY?? ... um... Ok, um.... I'll be right there..."

So, in 30 minutes, I got dressed, found a babysitter (thanks Kelly & mom!!!) and was in the ER at Parker. He really was there and really scheduled for surgery. I felt pretty crumby for thinking he was overreacting at 4am, for letting him go to the ER by himself, and then not even believing that he was going to have surgery. Luckily, I have a great husband (who has been drugged all day) who hasn't pointed out any of those terrible things. (I guess I need to make sure he stays drugged!! lol)

Anyway, the surgeon said 'we', but really it was just Tommy - I was rolling my eyes in my sleep, caught it early and that we would probably be able to go home today (which usually they keep you for 23hours).

They took Tommy in @ 11am and I got to go see him in recovery @ 2:30pm. We got home and he has been asleep pretty much since then. He seems pretty miserable, and I can totally relate... coming off anesthesia is NOT fun! So, I have been trying to be a very helpful and supportive wife to make up for my earlier faults.

He is doing really great and should be completely recovered next week.

What I have learned from this experience... Tommy is tougher than I give him credit for, I should really be a better wife, and hopefully stuff like this will happen after 8am so I can fully grasp what is going on...

So Far Behind

2009-04-30T08:57:00.006-06:00

So, I have been trying to take more pictures and videos to better document our lives... the only problem I have now is actually getting them on the computer! So here is a bunch of "stuff" that has been happening lately...

When Tommy gets home from work, many days Graham has a track set up and is playing with it. This day (a couple weeks ago) I decided to document playtime. Graham has also grown quite affectionate towards our dog Sophie ('Fophie"). He is constantly wanting to play with her and she is really good and soft when she plays with him. It is funny when Sohpie rubs up against us, yes just like a cat would do-I know a little strange, Graham says "Ah, Fophie yoves you"

So Tommy got my guitar out of the attic. I know you are saying "I didn't know you played the guitar" .... Well, I don't.... I mean I had good intentions, really I did... When we were dating (prior to our engagement) I had mentioned that I had a desire to learn how to play the guitar. We never talked about it again and then one night Tommy told me he had a suprise for me.... What could it be?!?!!? Considering how seriouse we were you can probably guess the direction my thoughts went.... 'it' was something small, a size 7 maybe, sparkly, white gold.... I could go on.... But then he pulls out the guitar, now eventhough it wasn't said engagement ring, I absolutely loved it! Tommy definitely knew me well enough to know what I liked, the guitar was beautiful! I tried now and then to play it - he had also gotten me some 'learn to play' books. I learned how to play "Leaving on a Jet Plane" which is only like three cords, but I was pretty proud of myself. But there were a few downsides. First, from the time I was in 1st or 2nd grade I remember always liking long pretty nails. To this day I TRY to keep my nails looking nice (not quite as well as I use to, who really has time for polish to dry anymore?!?!), there was only one time when I consistantly kept them short and it was in high school (I was a cheerleader and it was mandatory to have short nails); it actually was a sacrifice for me - silly, I know but it's true. It probably would have been a sacrifice I was willing to make to play the guitar except for the fact that it hurt to play! I know you have to 'grow' (is that the right word-probably not) caulouses on your fingertips but I didn't really want cauloused fingertips. So, I never really played it. Now, to my point of this story, is that Tommy suggested we sell my guitar on Craigslist since I don't use it (but I am super nostalgic, so the thought made me really sad!), so it was out and Graham wanted to play it.... (he may be the next big thing!) Enjoy!

A couple weeks ago Graham, my mom, and I went to Provo to visit my brother, his wife and their new little baby. The entire weekend we were there Graham was obsessed with this little pillow. The video pretty much speaks for itself. My child is a riot!

I also love how in all these vidoes Graham is constantly saying "Cheese" or "I need to see" (meaning the picture or video)

Adoption Update

2009-04-27T13:22:00.003-06:00

A lot of you have been asking how the adoption process has been going for us, so I thought I would make a little post about it. Right now we are waiting for first contact... which if I sit and think about it I would probably go crazy... sooo, I am trying to not think about it actually. Right now I am enjoying Graham and the stage that he is in. Whether a baby joins our family tomorrow or next year; I am just focusing on right now because I don't want to miss out on anything! And whenever it happens I will be (overwhelmed) happy, (nervous) and excited!
I appreciate all of your thoughts, support, and prayers! (We can always use all of those!)

Top Gunner

2009-04-07T10:14:00.003-06:00

Move over Tom Cruise!

I took this yesterday in the car, Graham really wanted to put on Tommy's sunglasses

and I just couldn't resist!

Follow the Prophet

2009-04-05T17:25:00.010-06:00

I feel so blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! This weekend was filled with such inspiration and words that I needed to hear. Twice a year the prophet of our church and his apostles give us counsel and teachings of what we should be doing.

I am going to be very honest that usually, at least once, I end up falling asleep and missing something. I always try to take notes - because it is hard to fall asleep when your hand is moving but it still always seems to happen. This year I really wanted to "get into it". It is always amazing to me that when you pray for help, God so willing gives it! And let me just say, that I felt the spirit so strong and really enjoyed what was said.

I always try to identify themes in all the talks (there were 26 talks) and I think that the main theme (at least one that I caught) was to Keep Your Eye On the Mark. There were many talks that spoke about our troubled times financially and morally, and that we should remember what is important: Our Faith in Jesus Christ, Raising our Families to be Strong in Christ's Gospel, and to Attend the Temple. When we focus on those things things fall into place. I want to touch on some of my favorites:

Robert D Hales : Apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve
He spoke on living providently.... and I always need to hear this. I try not to be worldly but there always seems to be so many things that I would like to have... He said we need to JOYFULLY live within our mean (catch the keyword?) and to focus on what you do have, not what you don't; because when you focus on the latter it pulls you away from the spirit.

Henry B Eyring : First Counselor in the Presidency
He talked about overcoming trials comes from our faith in Christ. He spoke that Christ physically experienced all that we did in Gethsemane and that he knows how to help and heal us. Our trials humble us and help us to receive the word of God more fully. One of my favorite things he said was "YOU ARE NOT YET JOB". We joked that I was going to get that done in vinyl lettering for my wall; but I really think that statement puts life into perspective - look at the person who lost EVERYTHING and how he dealt with it.

Rafael Pino : Member of the Quorum of the Seventy
Spoke of losing a child to a drowning accident and how something like that can break you, if you let it. But they remembered to be grateful that they were an eternal family and that death could not break those bonds. He related the story of the wise man and the foolish men. The wise man built his house upon the rock, the foolish on the sand. The interested thing he pointed out (that I never really picked up on, I must be a little slow) is that the rain, and wind hit both homes. Just because the wise man built his house in a good place didn't mean the storm wouldn't hit him. I took that to home (haha) that we need to be strong in our testimonies because trials WILL hit us and we will be able to withstand the wrath of the storm when we are centered in Christ.

Dieter F Uchtdorf : Second Counselor in Presidency
All answers come through the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is the ultimate formula for happiness. We don't aquire eternal life in a sprint, it is a long distance journey. We have to be doing things everyday, we can't just plant the seed and nurture it until it is a tree and then leave it; we CAN'T neglect the tree!! This is not a "SPECTATOR SPORT" we need to get off the sidelines and start practicing to be what we want to become. He invited us to start where WE are (not someone else) and begin walking toward Christ.

Jeffrey R. Holland : Apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve
He spoke about Jesus and that he took THE LONELIEST JOURNEY to pave the way to our salvation. This helps us turn to him when we feel lonely or abandoned. He spoke about Pilate who washed his hands of responsibility; of Judas, who was one who walked with Christ and knew him, and his ultimate betrayal for a mere 30 silver pieces; Peter, who denied him three times; how he was alone in the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ, who was perfect in every way, atoned for us; he felt physical pain that we would feel and also the spiritual pain, from sin - when the spirit is removed from us, so that his atonement could be infinite. He knows how to succor his people because of this. We are never alone because of him, even when our path is lonely and our cross is difficult to bear.

Thomas S. Monson : Prophet
FOCUS ON OUR BLESSINGS!! God hath not given me the spirit of fear, but of a sound mind. Be of good cheer, for I the Lord am with you. Men are that they might have JOY.

Okay, so I know that is a lot... and there were many other great things that were said; these were the things that really stood out to me.

Trop50 Commercial

2009-04-05T12:54:00.003-06:00

Have any of you seen this commercial with Kyra Sedwick in it? It is for the Tropicana Trop50 Orange Juice (made with Stevia). So I could really care less about the product... but Kyra is dancing around and singing and the first time I saw it I thought: that is totally something I would do....minus the splits of course. And now you know the dark workings of my mind...
Here is the link if anyone would like to laugh a little at my expense, it's ok, I give you permission! Just click on Trop50 then view ad

http://www.tropicana.com/#tvAd

One of the Best Trips

2009-04-04T22:39:00.003-06:00

It was 7 years ago (almost to the day) that Tommy and I drove from Las Vegas to Denver to "Meet the Parents". We were both attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas at the time and decided to make a "quick trip" to Denver. Now when I say quick I don't mean that it didn't take long to get there; it was an 11 hour drive, but we drove on Friday and came home on Sunday... so that is what I mean by quick! My family was having family pictures taken that Saturday. Tommy wasn't in that picture, but we did get a couples picture taken just the two of us. It is actually the picture shown... wow I was blond!! (and look at those roots! SCARY!!)
It is funny because back at school all of our friends asked us everyday if we were engaged yet, and everyone thought that was what the trip to Denver was for... especially my family. It probably was for that a little bit because I do remember Tommy asking to speak with my dad in private before we left on Sunday afternoon.
I remember my brothers... I laugh to myself thinking about it now... they were prepared to give Tommy the run down and be my "protectors", that is until they saw that Tommy was bigger than them. And then once they got to know him I think they were really excited that we were serious about each other.
I am so very lucky that Tommy is my husband! He is one of the most caring men I know. He is constantly thinking of others and doing things for them... especially Graham and me. Whenever he comes home from work he is always understanding if I am totally pooped or if the laundry isn't folded or dinner isn't made. A lot of times he will do those things. I am really, REALLY lucky. And I have to say that the quick trip to Denver 7 years ago was one of the best of my life!

A Lot of Firsts Lately

2009-03-28T15:13:00.003-06:00

First Sleep Over (...almost)

A few weeks ago we watched our friends kids, Michael and Madeline, while they went out for the evening. We knew they wouldn't be back until about midnight, so we got the kids ready for bed. It was funny because Graham was a little unsure of another kid tucked in to bed with him. But they had a lot of fun!

First Snowman

Yesterday was really nice (especially after the terrible storm we had the day before...) and we decided to go out and play in the snow. Graham gets so excited everytime it snows and I don't like playing in the snow while it is still really cold out. So being that there was fresh white snow and it was about 40 degrees and the sun shining we played outside. Graham had so much fun in the snow! And it was just wet enough to make a perfect snowman (or snowballs!) (I actually think it was my first snowman too!)

First Time Painting

I have had those cheap acrylic paints for so long and have been meaning to do this... but I never got around to it. So a couple weeks ago we were trying to do "new and interesting" things at our house. So I put my 'hair' cape on Graham and let him go to town on some paper plates. He was so proud of himself, when Tommy came home that was the first thing Graham showed him.

We are Approved!

2009-03-04T14:40:00.001-07:00

I can't believe this day has come. You do all the paperwork (and if your me you stay up until obscene hours to finish), you go to the appointments and interviews, "they" come to your house to make sure it is "fit" for children... you wait until your case study is complete (doesn't have to be done patiently!), update and complete your online profile... all for this moment...

The moment when you are "officially" online, when birthparents can look at you, can read what you are all about and decide whether you are "the one" or not.

I feel so excited to be in this place right now! I am not too worried about waiting a long time because I truely believe that when we are supposed to have a baby, we will. Our case worker was having trouble loading our profile, it took several days before we figured out what the problem was. During that time we had met with him, I just said that it must mean that our profile wasn't supposed to be online just yet... So, again, I am not worried about waiting. I mean of coarse I would love to have a baby in our home now... but worrying about it isn't going to make a difference. I actually think worrying will make it worse. I saw this quote today and I really like it:

"Worry can never conquer the problems we fear from tomorrow; it can only rob us of the vitality and pleasures of today" ~Anonymous

So, even though there may be someone looking at my profile right now, or not looking at my profile right now... I am going to enjoy the moment.

And to be honest, I am a little nervous. This is all so different from having Graham (obviously) and I am still not sure what to expect from all this... meaning, I know we will end up with a baby, but the journey is new and exciting and also a bit scary... it is unchartered water for us. I am sure there will be some bumps along the way but all in all I know it will all end up the way it should.

To all our friends and family who have given us support and encouragement along the way...
thank you!

Okay, I've Cooled Down... Let's Take Two

2009-02-19T18:02:00.011-07:00

Okay, I am not mad anymore about my erased post... okay, that is not entirely true, but I am over it enough to try posting again :)

So, it seems like a lot has happened the last couple months, but then also nothing at all... I guess nothing that important. Oh, wait a minute, I lied... Graham is potty trained (and I think that is pretty dang spectacular!!!). I have to admit, I can't take any credit for it. Every time I tried to get him to use the "loo" I failed miserably. But about three weeks ago we were hanging out with some friends that have a daughter the same age as Graham who was potty trained. It was pretty funny, she would go and as soon as she came out Graham would notify us he needed to go (he never actually went though). The next day he was in big boy "undies" and he hasn't worn a diaper since (even during naps or nighttime!!!... it sure is incredible the influence girls have on boys!!!)

WOW, that was easy! I must be a pro, because I don't know what all the fuss is about! ha

I recently got back from Orlando, Fl. Since I coached this year, I got to go to Nationals with the Varsity team at Walt Disney World. And I have to say, I LOVE WDW!!!! It must be that the kid in me never grew up... but I always want to ride all the rides and eat all the yummy foods, i.e. Frozen Chocolate Banana, Jumbo Pretzel with Cheese, Rice Krispie Treats shaped as Mickey's Head... yep, pretty dang delicious!!

Cinderella's Castle

Larissa, Woody, Me, & Buzz (this was from my trip last year)

The only down side of the trip was on the way home we had a layover in Atlanta and I left my phone on the floor before boarding... and it is gone :( and my "new" phone (Tommy's old one) drops calls like there is no tomorrow! Oh, well...

I recently permed my hair... and love it. I know many of you are asking "Why in the world would anyone perm their hair!?!" All I have to say, is since I wasn't "given" natural wave I fake it, just like sometimes I fake being blonde.... And since it is essentially free for me to change my hair as much as I like, I am going to take full advantage!! Next on the agenda... highlights and a full color... I mean, why not?!?!

(You can't really tell it is curly, but it is... and I love the "lazy" days of not doing my hair... it still looks half way decent!)

We recently had family pics taken by Ginny Jeppesen, and she did a really great job! I think she captured us really well! And I know I am super bias... but Graham really is the cutest kid ever!

I can NEVER get enough kisses! I will definitely be sad when Graham is "too old" for hugs and kisses

I love this family picture!

He is such a happy guy!

Graham and his dad... it is amazing how much of a daddy's boy he is... I guess that means he has a great dad that spends time with him. I couldn't ask for more!

Graham and me... I love this pic

"Yes, I am pretty GQ"

This is his "Abercrombie & Fitch" pose... what do you think?!

A great candid shot of us... I am not sure what was so funny...
This is a story board of Graham... these pics were taken at the end of the shoot and he was about done with pictures... it's hard to tell but the one in the middle he has the cutest pouty face!

We couldn't resist!

What a Waste!

2009-02-19T13:16:00.002-07:00

Okay I am mad.... I just wrote a post and now... nothing. This is why I never update! I just spent at least 30 minutes and I have nothing to show for it, grrr

Best Buds

2008-12-10T00:00:00.001-07:00

The other day Tommy and Graham were sitting on Graham's bed enjoying a few books together. They were reading Dr. Suess (whom we love dearly at our house) "Scrambled Eggs Super" and "Happy Birthday To You". They are each a little long but you got the love all of the creative characters and rhyming! They were also reading "Martha Speaks" and "Martha Walks the Dog" (it's a story about a dog -Martha- who can talk because she ate alphabet soup... Really cute!

Anyway, here are my two favorite guys...

A cute candid of Tommy and Graham... one of my new favorite pics!

Tommy and Graham on his bed (yes, it's a queen)

"Scrambled Eggs Super-de-dooper-de-booper; Special de lux ala Peter T. Hooper"

Both the boys reading Martha Speaks

Silly Graham hiding from me

The Parker Mafia

2008-12-09T15:29:00.005-07:00

Well, I guess this is officially my first blog post, so give me a break if for some reason I break some "Blogger 101" rule, or if I don't use the proper "Blogger" lingo.

Last night my fantasy football team ( The Parker Mafia) made it to the play-offs in my league. While I am EXTREMELY confident that my team will win the Championship, I thought I'd brag a little bit about how I made it to the play-off round this year.

My team struggled a bit to begin the season (I went 3-5 the first half of the season). However, to make a long story short, I made some pretty good roster adjustments and was able to turn things around the second half, winning 5 out of 6 games. It all came down to last night's Monday Night Football game. I needed to score 45 points between two players in order to take over the #1 position in my division. Well, needless to say, those two players scored a combined total of 68 points, thus propelling me to the #1 position and giving me a ticket to the play-offs.

Now, I'm almost positive that 99.9% of the people that read this post could care less about Fantasy Football (due to the fact that most of you are women). In fact, I'm sure that most of you despise Fantasy Football because your husbands participate in it. But just remember, Fantasy Football is to men what "Blogging" is for women. So the next time you feel the need to give your husband grief about "Fantasy Football", think again!

As for the cool "Fantasy Football" picture, it's the only one I could find!

Go Raptors!

2008-12-09T13:16:00.004-07:00

The Eaglecrest Varsity Cheerleaders are STATE CHAMPIONS!!

Okay, so I really can't take any credit for them winning (since I coach JV) however, I am still so excited for them, as many I have coached previously.

I was an Eaglecrest Cheerleader, holding 2 State Championships myself. I have coached there 4 years, I have watched it go from a very successful team, to a broken program. It is really great to see it successful again. Good Job Coach Mac!

TeePee

2008-12-07T10:51:00.004-07:00

So this is a little late coming... But for Graham's birthday this year (October) I made him this TeePee. At first he wasn't that interested (because he got a train set too), but now it is his favorite hiding place. I am sure it will continue to get more and more use...

Normal Mormon Husband

2008-12-04T01:48:00.002-07:00

Ok... this is a blog I came upon a while ago, and this guy is HILARIOUS!! He is constantly posting random things that are so funny. I could probably spend hours on his site....

See for yourself...

http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/

And he has some really funny posts about Twilight for all you Twi-Moms out there :)

'Tis the Season

2008-12-04T01:17:00.001-07:00

I sure love this time of year! And for me the love starts around September. My favorite season is Autumn. I love the crisp cool air, and watching the leaves change colors (although I don't love it when they fall off the trees). Making Halloween costumes, Cooking Turkey and Candy Yam Casserole, and I love putting up my Christmas Tree!Last weekend we put up our tree and I kept telling Tommy that I wish we could keep it up year around. It just makes my front room feel so cozy (especially when the fireplace is "lit")... and to top it off we got our first real, stick to the ground snow. For me there is something nastalgic about the first snow of the season, and since this year it was much later than usual (it is usually in September, so it was 2 1/2 months "late"... but that's fine with me because I got to enjoy Autumn much longer than usual) it has really put me in the Christmas Spirit. And this year I am really trying to focus on the real reason we celebrate Christmas... Because Jesus Christ was born and he gave the greatest gift of all.So Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

What Did You Call Me?

2008-12-03T23:47:00.005-07:00

This picture is a little old, but it is one of my favorites of Graham... It completely captures his personality

So, Graham is finally starting to use sentences when he speaks (many times words are completely out of order or mushed together to create new words, but he is still doing it; which after a lot of hard work and persuasion, feels really good) and he has started saying some of the cutest things. (They are probably just cute to me because I am his mom, but humor me!) Here are some of his favorite things to say and my favorite to hear... because right now his favorite things to say are "no" and "I don't want to..." but those are not MY favorite to hear... so here is my list:

Dat's cooool

Oh, tank you mommy (he says that to anything... makes me melt)

awwwwww man

I sad (I don't love hearing he's sad,
but it is so cute that he understands his emotions and tells us)

But by far the funniest is that he insists on calling Tommy "Tommy", not "daddy." I am constantly correcting him (he calls me Annie too, but not near as often) but he continues. And to top it off he is in a "I love daddy more than anything" stage and so he will ask "Where is Tommy?" all day long and my reply is usually "At work"
(it is really sweet, even if I am a tad bit jealous... I have been out of town for an entire week and not one word of where is mommy, but daddy is gone for two hours and he is concerned... he is definitely a daddy's boy!!)

Tommy usually gets Graham going in the morning (and lets me get a little more sleep. Yes, he is amazing!) So the other day when Graham was calling me to come get him, I had to go - since he usually tells me to go away - So, I go down to his room and do you know what the first words out of his mouth were?? "Good Morning", "Hi Mommy", "Taake Milk", "Waffo", a smile even??? NOPE, it was "Where is Tommy?" So, I got him some breakfast and then I went upstairs and notified Tommy that his son wanted him... I guess there are some advantages to being the "Black Sheep Parent"... I got to go back to bed!

But regardless of who Graham is clinging to at the moment, he is my little guy and I love him dearly. He is constantly making me laugh and he is such a happy boy! (minus the toddler breakdowns)

Good day, Rough Night

2008-12-03T23:35:00.002-07:00

I just have to vent a little...

I was having such a great day... I got up early, 6:30 - and yes, that is VERY early for me - and got so much done. We met with our case worker... and let me just say, he is a total crack up! You would never guess we were doing serious interviews because we are always laughing... gotta love Dan :)... Anyway, then I went to practice...

Dum, dum, dummmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Well, I can at least say that it started off good... unfortunately it ended with me lecturing/yelling at them to be respectful and kind to each other... You would think that I was coaching third graders... nope, high schoolers... let me tell you, this year has been non-stop DRAMA!! I just don't get it. And I feel really bad for the girls that are always there and busting their butts to get things done, while others gossip about their teammates... gotta love teenage girls... especially 16 of them...

And I feel so bad for Tommy because he dropped me off for practice and we went a half an hour over, so when he came to get me he was waiting in the car with Graham for 45 minutes (because he is awesome and was there 15 minutes early) and I didn't even have a 20 minute drive to cool off before I got home, so he got the full run down, screaming steaming pot and all. Tommy really is amazing and so supportive. I am lucky to have him!

Anyway, I just had to get it off my chest... I am better now... cool as ice... thanks to time and an Orange Fanta.

Dancing Queen

2008-11-20T16:25:00.005-07:00

Okay, so ever since I can remember I have always danced when I hear music. I actually remember my dad telling me to stop "tapping" on the kitchen floor. To this day you could very well catch me in the act while driving in the car. I think it is just in my blood!

So, at practice occassionally I will "pull out" a move or two. My cheerleaders look at me all weird (like I really care!), like they are embarrassed of me...

Well, two Saturdays ago we were at a competition at Grandview High School and while the judges were tabulating scores they decided to have a "dance off" with the PARENTS of the cheerleaders. Well, needless to say, my cheerleaders pulled (and I mean pulled) me down from the bleachers to the floor. At that point I submitted to my fate. ( I kept saying that I wasn't a parent of one of them....) Then the MC said they needed a male dancer from Eaglecrest... Luckily I have a great husband and he joined me on the dance floor.

So, everyone warmed up together for 20 seconds, then we had to do a solo for 10 seconds. Then all the men danced 10 more seconds, and then the women danced for the last 10 seconds. Then the crowd voted... Tommy lost by default.... a middle aged man with a beer belly tried to do a back handspring and landed on his head... we figure he deserved to win for risking his life (or his ability to use his arms and legs in the future); however, I did win... yeah I am pretty cool (actually I am still a little embarrassed).

And thanks to technology, one of my cheerleaders recorded me on her phone and put me on YouTube... don't bother searching, here it is (thank goodness technology is not so great, as she didn't get a clear recording, but yes that is me)

And even with this incriminating footage, I will keep on dancing!

About Me

2008-11-20T16:17:00.002-07:00

I got this in an email (thanks Christina) and decided since I haven't been super inspired to blog, that I would "reply" here....

Two Names you go by:
1. Annie
2. Mom
Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Cords
2. Sweater (it's cold today!)
Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Craft-pretty much anything
2. Relaxing with Tommy
Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. A massage - I have had a crick in my neck this whole week and it is making my neck, back shoulder hurt :(
2. A healthy child
Two favorite pets you have had/have:
1. Sophie
2. Abbie
Two things you did last night:
1. Stayed up with a sick kid
2. Listened to Tommy read Breaking Dawn aloud
Two things you have eaten today:
1. Cereal
2. Left overs from dinner last night, Garlic Butter Chicken Tortellini, YUM!
Two people you last talked to:
1. Graham
2.Tommy
Two places you have been in the past year:
1. Las Vegas (3 times)
2. Florida
Two favorite beverages:
1. Since they are selling now, Egg Nog
2. Milk or water

TWILIGHT!!!!

2008-11-20T15:26:00.003-07:00

Has anyone else been waiting with as much anticipation for this movie as I have???
Tonight at 12:01 (or tomorrow I guess) I will be watching TWILIGHT!! FUN FUN FUN

The Sanctity of Marriage

2008-11-15T11:53:00.004-07:00

I wrote this and have been contemplating whether or not to post it. I do feel very strongly about this topic, so I decided to do it.

Growing up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was not a difficult task for me. While I had Mormon friends, I had many more friends that were not of my faith. Each of my friends were supportative and tolerant of my beliefs. Many of them praised my ability to use clean language, to speak kindly of others, remain virtuous, and abstain from drugs and alcohol. I had heard stories of members in different parts of the country that did not receive the same type of tolerance, and could not imagine the reason for such injustice.

It was in college that I first felt any persecution for my beliefs, or being "Mormon". My roommate and I were at a friends apartment (who was not of our religion) and he had invited his neighbors over. We were playing card games and making cookies, when it was brought up that my roommate and I were "Mormon". The neighbor began saying the most awful things about us directly based on our religion. Our "friends" were laughing at what this guy was saying. I remember looking at my roommate like "Is this really happening?", "What are we supposed to do?". At that moment I said we were leaving. We grabbed our things as quickly as possible and left. Our two "friends" ran after us, obviously not realizing how upset those comments made us.
I remember thinking "Aren't we old enough and mature enough to be past this?" I seriously thought that as people got older they became more tolerant of differences between people; whether it be religious, racial, or any other. What I have found to be true is quite the opposite.
I understand why the Lord has taught us to become as children. They hold no prejudice or dislike, they are loving and trusting.

I have decided to write this post because of all that has happen in California with the passing of Proposition 8, making marriage legal only between a man and a woman. I know that there are many members of the church that are being persecuted because they voted yes. I have read news articles and editorials regarding this persecution, and I have felt very saddened for them and for the church. The Los Angeles Temple was vandalized, due to the belief of the "No on 8" proponants that it was the fault of the "Mormons" for the law passing. It is heart breaking to see and hear of such intolerance of our American right, to believe as we like and vote accordingly.
I would like to say that, while I do not agree with a homosexual lifestyle, I am accepting of them as people. Sexual orientation, race, religion (etc) would never be the deciding factor if someone was going to be my friend, and it would NEVER cause me to do or say hateful things.

Eventhough Proposition 8 was in California, not Colorado, I feel overwhelming joy and saddness from it. Joy that people believe in the sanctity of marriage, and believe God made man and woman to be joined together. Saddness because of the hatred directed at the church and its' members.

While some people may read this post and disagree (which you absolutely have the right to) I just had to take my own stand and agree with "The Family: A Proclaimation to the World" as it states:

"[We] solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that he lived as a man and did many miraclous things. I know that he bled in Gethsemane and died on the cross, for me and for all mankind. I know that His church has been fully restored as it was when he walked in Jerusalem. I know that we have a prophet on the earth today that receives revelation, just like Adam, or Noah, or Abraham. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, that I know I can live with my family forever, even after death. I am grateful that from my childhood I was taught to act as Christ would, and though I am not always perfect at doing so, I am glad that in the face of adversary I have been given strength to do exactly that.

Here are some links if you would like to read more about Prop 8 and it's effects in California.
http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081110hate.html
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/california-and-same-sex-marriage

Exciting News

2008-11-11T21:56:00.007-07:00

We are

ADOPTING!

We decided to adopt the first week in October and have been working on getting all of our paperwork in. We are pretty much just waiting for our background checks to move forward. We are really excited for this whole new adventure. It is definitely different than when we had Graham!

Our case worker keeps telling us that the families that are more vocal and proactive about adopting usually have a baby placed sooner than others. So all you who are reading this... Tell your friends! :)

I will probably start an "Adoption Blog" for our family soon (if I can keep up with two blogs...) for birth mothers to look at. You will be more than welcome to browse and share it with others (however, most of it will probably be a repeat of stuff on this blog. It is mostly for protecting our privacy).

Anyway, just wanted to share our good news!

In A Rut

2008-11-11T21:49:00.002-07:00

There have been MANY of you who have complained about my lack of posts...

My life really hasn't been that interesting lately. Let me recap the last month

We had a few friends over to carve pumpkins and make caramel apples, it was sure a lot of fun! (Sorry no pics)

We celebrated Graham's 3rd birthday, pretty low key, with family. Let me just say he is spoiled!

I have been in full swing with cheerleading (part of the reason why I haven't been blogging), practices pretty much every day, competitions every Saturday, and emails, study hall etc. that fill up any spare time I have (or so it seems!)

Graham broke (somewhat) our camera, and I hate posting without photos... it's just not as fun! It is not a complete lost cause... but it's close (it seems we have had some problems with our electronics lately, hopefully nothing else breaks!)

So, to all my friends who have been bugging me-
I will try to be a better blogger :)

Graham Has Never...

2008-10-01T13:31:00.005-06:00

... Colored on the wall....

Isn't funny, as soon as you say something about your kids, they prove you wrong! Last week I sat down to do some blogging, and I hear Graham come up the stairs talking. I peek around the corner to find he is all black... along with the wall. I have to admit I lost it a little bit...

What I don't understand is how I missed this.... I was sitting just to the left of this half wall (where our computer is)... I guess I was really into what I was doing - or Graham is REALLY sneaky... it is probably both!

More black marker on the wall

Caught red handed...

or black handed, whichever.

Sitting in time out, knowing he is in trouble.

I was able to calm down a little, especially when I learned it was a washable marker and it was only on the wall (not on the carpet)

After sitting in time out, we washed Graham's hands and face, and then put him to work.

Cleaning the wall himself was supposed to be punishment; however, he seemed to think it was fun... oh well, the wall got clean. I guess that is all I can ask for.

When Tommy got home that night, I said I needed a vacation. He replied "Why don't you and Graham go somewhere..." I then said "I need a vacation from him!"

We all have those moments... don't we???

A Day Out With Thomas...

2008-10-01T12:57:00.003-06:00

...no, not my husband... but

Thomas the Tank Engine!!!

As I told you before, Graham is obsessed with trains, especially Thomas and Friends! At the Colorado Railroad Museum, in Golden, you could go have "A Day Out With Thomas". We decided this year to go since Graham would love it. We went with Larissa and Scott (who is more obsessed with trains than Graham!) and had a lot of fun.

Trying to get a picture of Tommy and Graham on the bus to the museum. Graham was trying to humor me... saying "cheeeeese" while watching a Thomas & Friends episode on the bus TV.

Family picture in front of one of the steam engines

Me and Graham sitting on the Caboose

Graham watching one of the small engines go around in the "Round House". It is quite a cool contraption! There are "handles" attached to the track so you can push it around to line up with a different track. I pushed it by myself and the worker said that I was pushing 50 Tons around... It is amazing how if you engineer something right, you can move so much weight with ease!

Graham, Me, Larissa and Scott

Graham and Scott had such a fun time together. Scott would sit with Graham and give him lessons on what all the levers did, what type of train it was, and a bunch of other train knowledge. Me and Larissa kept teasing that we both brought our "kids" to see the trains :)

Scott and Larissa had to leave early, so after they left we rode Thomas. Actually it was a train pushing a car in front that looked like Thomas (not the fully functional Thomas...) but the kids don't know the difference. The entire time we were there, Graham kept saying "Thomas", "Thomas", "Thomas". He was SO excited! This is Graham and Tommy (with Thomas in the background) right before we left to come home.

Both Graham and I fell asleep on the way home!

What Happens in Vegas...

2008-10-01T12:39:00.004-06:00

Many people vacation in Las Vegas, our family is no different. Okay, maybe a little different. We visit at least twice a year and don't even make it to "The Strip".

Tommy is a Las Vegas Native (and we used to live there), so we always spend time with family, rather than be tourists.

However, this Labor Day weekend we thought Graham might like to see the excitement. One of my favorite "shows" is watching the Bellagio Water Show. So we drove down to the strip and parked and walked through the Bellagio to get out front to watch the show. We did make a pit stop in the Bellagio Atrium. It is an elaborate garden that changes seasonally. When we went it was all about the trains... it was fate that we were supposed to be tourists this trip (as Graham is obsessed with trains at the moment).

You can't really tell but there is a "living" train behind Tommy and Graham - made of plants and such.

The Water Show
Graham wasn't so into the show... he just wanted to go back inside and look at the trains...
One of the trains
Watching the trains go 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round and.... you get the point.

Graham "lost it" when it was time to leave, but at least we know he enjoyed himself!

p.s. Tommy's phone actually broke in half on this trip (do you think it ws because of our charging method?!?). Luckily the day we got home his new phone - a working one - came in the mail. Good timing... if you have no idea what I am talking about, look down a few posts....

Face Lift

2008-08-27T23:27:00.003-06:00

Tommy and I had been talking about replacing our carpet. Tommy decided that over Father's Day he would do that project (I was out of town). Tommy did the front room, dining room, kitchen, and Graham's room. It took a little to get used to, but I love it! It definitely didn't look like our house for a while.

Then I decided the "red wall" finally needed to go, so about a month ago I painted it an olive green-brown.

So here are pics of our homes "face lift"

Jerry-Rigged

2008-08-23T17:33:00.003-06:00

Tommy's phone is on its way out... actually it has been on its way out for a while. We got it about 18 months ago and it is about to die...literally! He got a really thin phone, which he thought was really cool at first. That is until it was constantly in his back pocket and actually began to bend from sitting on it... And it is bending till it breaks!

We have been trying to go the cheap way, and buy a phone off eBay. So far we have bought 2 phones and returned 2 phones. It has been a little frustrating, especially when his phone is surviving day to day. This is what we have to do to charge it... and even when we do this it doesn't always work. Yep, that is two pens held to the phone with two hair ties, with a make up applicator stick to help. Yea, pretty ghetto, I know!

Sorry Ladies...

2008-08-21T16:36:00.004-06:00

... but I have the best and most thoughtful husband ever!

Tuesday morning I woke up to this:

And it was just to remind me that he loves me. So, you may all argue your case, but I think I will still win!

Trooper

2008-08-21T15:48:00.002-06:00

Last Monday (Aug 11), Graham had surgery to remove his adnoids, tonsils, and to get tubes put in his ears. I was a little nervous because they had to put him "under", and I get nervous when they have to do that to me...

He did so good while we were waiting in pre-op. He pushed Tommy around in a wheel chair to pass the time. And the nurses were awesome!

They allowed one of us to go in to the surgery room, to comfort him until he was out. Initially, I wanted to go, but being the "Daddy's Boy" that he is, he wanted Tommy to go with him. However, after Tommy told me how it went, I was glad it was him and not me. I guess as soon as they rolled him into the room he could tell something wasn't right and got a really big pouty face (he didn't cry though), then they put him under via gas mask. Graham wasn't having it! Tommy had to hold his head so they could do it. The surgery was about an hour, and they came to get us promptly. We stayed in recovery for two hours and then we were allowed to go home.

Before surgery, in his cute little hospital gown... and of course his blankie

(sorry the pics are not great, they are from my phone)

Tommy holding him in recovery... When we walked in and I saw the nurse holding Graham, I almost started to cry. It was hard seeing him like that. The nurses said he was doing a really great job. He slept almost the entire two hours we were in recovery.

When we got home we found a Get Well gift from the Griffiths. Noah gave him a Thomas the Engine blanket and he LOVED it (needless to say, now he carries both blankies around with him!). Grandma and Grandpa Easton came over later that night and brought some Get Well reinforcements as well... graham crackers (which he couldn't eat right away, but he wanted to), a Stewart Little movie, and Graham's favorite movie at the moment; Charlotte's Web (not the cartoon verson either). That really cheered him up a lot!

He didn't eat/drink very much that first day... of course the only thing that didn't hurt was ice cream, so he did get a couple bowls of that!

By day three, he was up and walking around, wanting to play. The doctor said he needs to lay pretty low for 14 days... we are on day 11 and he wants to get out SO bad. I did go and work out at the rec center on Monday, so he was in the child care and he seemed to be okay... but now he has what seems to be a cold. I am not sure if it is from the after surgery shock to his immune system or if it was the child care... we won't be going back for a while, just in case.

We appreciate all the calls to check up on Graham following his surgery, we are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends!

Happy 6th

2008-08-19T15:25:00.005-06:00

(Okay, I meant to post this the day of, I am a loser - I know - but I thought better late than never!)

August 10 was our 6th Wedding Anniversary. It is so incredibly amazing how fast time flies by! I am so lucky to have spent it with Tommy. He is such a kind, loving, funny, passionate (and even silly - sometimes) husband. He even lets me win "arguements" (as we are both super stubborn in thinking we are both right), now that says a lot :)

Usually we have a romantic date... a nice dinner, roses, Barry White music (okay, maybe not the music, but you get the point), and we switch off years planning our date. This year was my year and I thought it would be super fun to do all the things we did BEFORE we were married.

We first started by eating dinner at one of our favorite restuarants : Damascus Grill. It takes us back to when we were still in Las Vegas, and eating at a persian restuarant. It was so yummy! Kabobs, Hummus, Tabouli, Rice, and Pita Bread.

Then, Put-Put Golf

Then finding a bench and sitting quietly together, thinking how lucky we are

After that, bowling

And to top off the night, enjoying concession food at the movie theatre, watching an action movie - no chick flicks here. And not getting out of the theatre until 2am!

And of course, lots of kissing!

It was such a fun night and I am so glad I am married to Tommy. I am looking forward to many more years with my eternal companion!

Best Buds

2008-08-19T15:02:00.003-06:00

Earlier this summer, I watched a friends' son, Noah. I decided to take them to the zoo.

In the car, ready to go...

And this is us leaving... (Unfortunately I didn't take any "during" pics, I am really bad about that!) You would think they had a terrible time... But, really they just didn't want to leave! We left pretty early, due to the fact that we skipped the entire west side of the zoo (so we wouldn't have the "Walked Past the Train and Didn't Ride It" breakdown)

Noah is Graham's Best Bud! Everytime we leave our house he asks for Noah (since Noah is just one building away from us). They are so fun when they are together!

Caught in the Act

2008-08-19T14:31:00.004-06:00

Don't you love those moments when you walk into something you are not supposed to see?!?!

Well, a while back I was upstairs (probably on the computer) and Graham was being VERY quiet downstairs. So, down I crept to see what he was up to.

This is what I found....

WHAT?!?!

Oh, come on... You CAN'T be mad at ME!

I needed a bath anyways, right?

Yep, he learned that yummy food (chocolate covered carmel corn) on the counter, is only a kitchen chair away

And he is so dang proud of himself!

Mckay is Married!!!

2008-07-15T11:35:00.003-06:00

On June 21, 2008 Mckay and Sheri were married in the St. Louis LDS Temple. It was really crazy to see my little brother married!! But I know Sheri is his perfect match, they compliment each other so well! And she is a great fit to our already somwhat crazy family!
Mckay and Sheri after the wedding at the Luncheon

Like I said, I have a crazy family. If you think I am wild by myself, just get me with my family and it is amplified!!! This is me and my brothers (Evan, Garrett, and Mckay)... we are "sandwiching" Mckay... or giving him a big hug... whichever you prefer.

It was a really fun trip, although very quick. Tommy, my mom, my dad, Sarah (my sister in law), baby Charlotte (the newest addition), and myself all piled into our MiniVan to make the drive. Garrett flew out but drove home with us. I was extremely suprised how comfortable we all were... it was a little tight in the back seat (two full grown adults and a carseat), but nothing terrible. Having everyone drive together (except Evan and Jeannie, who flew both ways- lucky!) made the 14 hour drive go very fast... we talked, laughed, kareoked, and of coarse slept. Since everyone was old enough to drive, we switched often; except for Tommy... he wanted to "BE MAN" (imagine him banging his chest) and drive the entire way there. It was a really fun trip, and we are so excited to have Sheri a part of our family!

(thanks Jeanie for the pics.... I can never remember my camera - and when I do the batteries are dead, like now)

Call Me Hermit (the crab of coarse)

2008-07-15T11:09:00.004-06:00

So the last couple months I have kind of stayed to myself, haven't really done so much or talked to many people. It is kind of weird because I am usually not like this. I have several reasons...

1. So, I am totally going to blame Tate, my sister-in-law, for my "inexistance" lately. We took a suprise weekend trip to Las Vegas over Memorial Day. Tate told me I needed to read the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. I had heard of them before and was uninterested... But I decided to read them anyway. Well, I have to say that I love them... and reading them has instilled in me something that was NEVER there before..... A love of reading. I have read 10 books (no not picture books!) and am on my 11 since that weekend. Any chance I get I want to read. I never before understood people who LIKED reading.... and now I am one of them! I find I watch a lot less TV, which is a good thing, but I also do a lot less of other things too (like blogging!)

2. June was CRAZY!!! It felt like the whole month I was gone... oh wait a minute, I pretty much was! I was gone for 4 days at a cheerleading camp, got home for two days - just enough time to do my laundry and re-pack - to drive a FULL van (6 adults and 1 child) to St. Louis for my little brothers wedding. I was home for an entire week... yea, hard to believe... but the whole time we were planning and preparing for the open house (for my brother and new sister in law) here. Then 5 days later, we are off again to camp for the fourth of July.... Yep, that was my whole month!

3. After cheerleading camp, I shut down. We had the month of June and July off from cheerleading practice or anything related... So, I figured I was going to just chill out. Seriously, sometimes I am just sitting listening to music, doing absolutely nothing.... and absolutely Loving it!

I am sure I can come up with more reasons (I am sure) but those are the biggest reasons for my Hermit Crab behavior.... I will try to be better! :)

C-C-C-Toke

2008-04-10T05:51:00.004-06:00

Okay, my mom will especially get a kick out of this one...

So yesterday at lunch Graham decided he wanted a waffle. He used to call them "waffo", he has however changed to "faffo".

So, yesterday when he proceeded to say "faffo" I tried to correct him. "W-W-W ... Waffle" I said

"W-W-W ... Faffo" He said

We repeated this several times and it got to the point where I was laughing so hard at him, and he too started laughing each time he said "W-W-W ... Faffo"

It was all to no avail... it is still "Faffo"

The part that makes this so funny to me is that when I was three (just little older than him) I remember a family trip to California which my entire family tried to teach me to say "Coke", as I called it "Toke"

They would say "C-C-C Coke". I would reply "C-C-C Toke"
And this was repeatedly done through the entire trip... and it still was "Toke"
It sure is funny how things come full circle!

Mix It Up!

2008-03-26T21:30:00.006-06:00

I love change. When I was growing up I was constantly moving furniture around, not only in my room, but in the living room, the family room and any other room I could change. My dad would come home from work and say "Annie, you changed it again!" (there was one time I rearranged my room... which including draining and refilling my waterbed... while refilling it I got destracted on the computer- which is SO easy to do- and flooded my room! Luckily it was over the garage, otherwise I would have flooded our family room and possibly our basement... yeah, that was the last of the waterbed!)
Anyway, I have changed my blog layout... as many of you have noticed. It was really easy, I went to another blog (scroll down and her link is on the sidebar) and she gives you a template to copy and paste, it is super easy for anyone who wants a change... who knows maybe next week it will be different...

Because I have changed my blog, I have learned a little more about HTML... it isn't as scary as I originally thought! But I also played around with it for like three hours last night (it is a good thing I was productive today!). And I will probably play around with it some more... so expect more change!

ps... (this is for you Jeannie) If you want to change text, go to layout: edit HTML. Scroll until you see "variable name" Then find ones that are associated with text i.e. "Bodyfont" "textfont" "pagetitlefont" etc. It will also say type= default = value= the first font listed in the 'value=' section is the default font, the ones following are alternatives (from what I understand, I just changed the first font to what I wanted). All you have to do is replace the existing font with the one youwant in the "value=" field like this 'Arial' There is probably a % also, messing around with that changes the size of the font... I believe the "normal normal" can be changed if you want italics or bold by just changing the 2 'normal' to 'bold' or whatever (but don't take my word for it!)...Hope this helps for anyone wanting to customize more...

Accomplished

2008-03-26T21:23:00.005-06:00

Don't you love those days where you feel like you have gotten so much done? Today was one of those days.
Me and Sharla took our boys to the zoo today, they had so much fun. On the way home we stopped at the firestation (Sharla's husband is a fire fighter) to look at the "wee-ooo". We came home, Graham slept!!!, and I did some data entry (for an online subscription that helps you match up coupons with store deals to get cheap/free stuff... couponsense.com if anyone is wondering), did the dishes, took Graham and our dog Sophie to the park, went to a Relief Society Enrichment night, and updated my blog :)
Now, I know to some that doesn't seem like that much... but it is quite a feat for me! I will sleep good tonight!

...side note... at the park Graham was wearing a hat, it fell off, he put it back on and continued playing... but he put it on sideways, like he was a 'gangsta' or something... it was so cute, but I didn't have my camera... You will just have to imagine it...

Easter Fun

2008-03-24T22:05:00.003-06:00

On Friday, we had a cousins playdate. Which we try to do once a month. We (meaning Sarah) had the idea to decorate eggs. We got the colors all ready, and about ten minutes into it the boys were done. We still had like ten eggs to do. So us moms had a playdate, and finished coloring them. Which I was actually glad, as I love coloring eggs (those that know me well, know I love doing all the "holiday activities" - like carving pumpkins and stuff). Grandma Easton had planned an egg hunt for the grandkids in her front yard. This was the first year that Graham was interested in participating. He actually got more eggs than any of his other cousins! Isaac (his cousin 9 months younger than him) dumped his basket out and Graham was standing there watching, he decided to take advantage of the situation and proceeded to pick up Isaacs eggs and put them in his basket. That night we celebrated Sarah's birthday. It is always really fun when we get together!
On Saturday, we got together with some friends that don't have family in town. We had another egg hunt, in which Graham (now knowing the object of the "game") totally ditched his basket and began picking up as many as possible with his hands, since he could get more that way. He remembered (from the prior egg hunt) that there was candy inside and decided he didn't want to pick any more up, he would rather eat the goodies inside. We later had an Easter dinner together. We each were in charge of specific dishes and it came together so well. It was really nice not having to do the entire meal by ourselves and it was so delicious! It was a really fun night!
Sunday morning we made a basket of goodies for Graham and put it in front of his door before he woke up. When he opened his door, he was so excited! He got Dumbo the movie (he is currently obsessed with elephants or "elphies"), and we put some candy in from his egg hunts. After church we went to my parents for dinner, and began watching, as tradition requires, the Ten Commandments. We came home before it was over, but I have seen it like... well, too many times!
It was a great Easter weekend, with lots of uplifting words at church about Christ and His atonement for us.

Tagged!

2008-03-24T21:53:00.003-06:00

Seven Random Facts About Me:

1. When I am bored I use my saliva to make bubbles with my tongue. It makes a popping sound, and it drives Tommy nuts!

2. I have a new found hobby, reading. The only problem is I am reading five books at once: Pride and Predjuice, Wooden on Leadership, Book of Mormon, Harry Potter 4, and Arming Your Children with the Gospel. All very different but all very good.

3. I wait to do laundry as long as possible... i.e. until I have nothing clean to wear, or until it is piled too high to fit in the hamper. Today, for instance, I did 9 loads... and I still have 3 left to do!

4. If I eat something I shouldn't (because I have already had some or it is not healthy or something), hiding the wrapper in the garbage means it never happened!

5. I like to drink milk out of the carton... (if my mom reads this she will freak! But I do have three brothers, so I am blaming them)

6. I have webbed toes. Actually only two are webbed together about half way up. It is actually genetic on my mother's side of the family. My uncles toes are way more webbed than mine... and no, it doesn't make me a good swimmer.

7. I would love to go back to school... to become a photographer, or interior designer, or CAD drafter, or artist... the list could go on and on. I have a great desire to learn things, of the arts especially. I am hoping when our last child is in school and we can afford it, that I can go back and get my degree... in something.

I tag Jill.

Bitter Sweet

2008-03-24T21:31:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions for me. I got released from my calling as Young Woman 1st Counselor. It is actually wierd, I kind of felt it coming on. I was called in before sacrament meeting and was told I was being released and asked how I felt about my year of serving there. I was fine through sacrament and sunday school, but lost it in YWs. I guess you don't really realize how much you will miss something until it is gone.
I had the opportunity to lead the same group of girls almost the entire time I was in Young Woman's (I was in Beehives when they were, and then was called to Mias when they moved up). I have formed such a great relationship with those girls. And I love each of them in their individuality.
It makes me reflect on the one Young Woman's leader that had a profound influence on me... Annette Rucker. She is such a righteous woman who taught me many important principles when I was a Mia Maid. But more importantly she took a particular interest in me and became my friend and an adult I knew I could turn to if I needed it. Even to this day I will see her in the hall and we will chat and laugh. How grateful I am that she was my leader in a critical time of my life. I only hope that I was a glimmer of what she was for me. Thanks, Annette!

I Took the Plunge

2008-03-24T21:15:00.005-06:00

So I do something now that I thought (and always swore) I would never do...

I drive a MINIVAN!! And I LOVE IT!

We sold our Scion XB about 6 weeks ago with the full intention of only having one car for about a year to save and all that good stuff. Then about a month ago, one of my friends from high school (who coaches cheerleading at our old high school), called and asked if I would consider coming back to coach. I thought long and hard about it... and decided that I would really enjoy doing it again. Needless to say, we needed to get another car for this to happen.

We originally we going to a $2K beater that Tommy could drive to work and school, then it changed to a nicer $4K beater... after not much luck finding a car that fit what we needed, we decided that it would probably be wiser to get a van (if you have kids, it is the practical thing to do!) since we will be growing (NO that is not an anouncement, I am NOT pregnant... I am just saying...), and I want to have this car for a while.

We ended up getting a 2005 Honda Odyssey, and let me tell you, I am spoiled! Tommy made sure I got a pretty nice car... I mean van. He is so thoughtful!

It was pretty funny, as we were leaving church yesterday Tommy asks "Can I drive the van home?"

4 Things You Don't Know

2008-03-03T14:40:00.009-07:00

This is from an email I got (thanks Jeannie), I don't like replying/forwarding them; so by posting it, everyone still gets to see what a cool gal I am! lol!

Four Jobs I have had in my life
1. Baskin Robbins Ice Cream "Scooper"
2. Wedding Coordinator at Little Chapel of the Flowers in Vegas
3. AutoCad Drafter
4. Cheerleading Coach

Four Movies I could watch over and OVER
1. Pride and Predjudice
2. Count of Monte Cristo
3. Becoming Jane
4. The Holiday

Four Places I have lived
1. House -Aurora
2. Dorm - Las Vegas
3. Apartment - Aurora & Vegas
4. Condo - Aurora
(I know... I have a crazy life!)

Four TV Shows I watch (only 4?!)
1. Men in Trees
2. October Road
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Private Practice

Four Places I have been
1. Seattle Zoo
2. Butchart Gardens, BC
3. Walt Disney World (the happiest place on earth!)
4. NYC Twin Towers (prior 9-11)

Four People Who Email me Regularly
1. Tommy
2. Pam
3. CouponSense
4. All of the companies I "subcribe to"

Four of my favorite foods
1. Nutela
2. Pizza
3. Cereal
4. Ice Cream

Four Places I would Rather be RIGHT NOW
1. On a Beach in Hawaii
2. Taking a nap by the pool (assuming it was 80+ degrees, not the 40 degrees of today!)
3. Any place I could wear shorts comfortably
4. At Cheesecake Factory, eating avacado eggrolls

Four Things I am looking Forward to This Year
1. Breckenridge trip
2. Going to the zoo A LOT
3. Going swimming A LOT
4. Coaching

I TAG Sarah and Devony.

I Love Groceries

2008-02-02T13:02:00.002-07:00

I recently subscribed to a website that matches the weekly sales at all the stores with the coupons in the Sunday paper. I used to HATE grocery shopping... now it is a JOY.

I love to see how much I can save.

The pictures below are the last shopping trip. I bought:

10 pkgs Wholly Guacamole

10 Hillshire Farm Deli Wraps

3 pkgs hot dog buns

3 pkgs Ball Park hot dogs

5 pkgs Bratwurst

2 pkgs Lil' Smokies

1 box waffles

2 boxes Cap'n Crunch

3 boxes Fruity Pebbles (Tommy's Favorite!)

1 box Honeycomb

8 Yoplait yogurts

6 boxes Quaker Simple Harvest oatmeal

1 bag Doritos

2 pkgs corn tortillas

3 boxes Orville Redenbacker popcorn

4 lbs. chicken breast

1 pkg Jimmy Dean sausage patties

1 loaf of bread

2 bottles Huggies baby wash (not shown)

1 bottle Huggies lotion (not shown)

1-24pk ArrowHead water (not shown)

1-2.5 gal jug Purified water (not shown)

(and I would have bought more but ran out space!)

...

... all for $31.59!

I saved $130.31 or 80% on all this food!

It is really exciting!

It is actually funny because I looked at the sign up for the cannery and said to myself

"I can get this food cheaper with my coupons!"

I definitely have more food storage than I have EVER had!!

Chucky Cheese Party

2008-01-16T12:04:00.001-07:00

Martin, Graham's cousin, just turned one and we went to Chucky Cheese's for his birthday

(it was more for the older kids, as Martin didn't really play SkeeBall)

Yummy cake.

Nothing is better than the one-year old going at their very own cake

Tommy and Graham inserting a token to play a game

Graham was way more interested in riding the "rides" than playing the games.

We did find one he liked though. You push a button and a fist "punches" down a duck. He played it until we ran out of tokens!

Kimball (another cousin), helped Graham up into the tunnels (it hangs from the ceiling) and they crawled around for a while.

Here they are again in the tunnel, Kimball pushing his face up against the "glass" (do you think they ever clean those? yuck!) and Graham just laughing at him. Kimball always has a way to make Graham laugh!

We had a really fun time, and Graham was less crazy than I thought he would be. (For those who know Graham, know he has a lot of ENERGY! like we were at my parents house on Sunday and he chased their dog around their kitchen island laughing for at least 30 minutes... he was so red in the face!)

Yummy Pancakes

2008-01-16T11:56:00.001-07:00

Graham LOVES breakfast. Almost every morning the first words out of his

mouth are "waffo" (waffle) Unfortunately we ran out a couple days ago, but a good

alternative are scrambled eggs. I used the last one yesterday, and I meant to get to the

store, but didn't. SO, I got online to find an egg-less waffle recipe.

I ended up with an egg-less cinnamon pancake recipe instead; but it did the job!

Graham INSISTED that he stir the batter....

...and "oversee" me cooking them... had to make sure I did it right!

(of course I am not in the picture because I am taking it!)

So we got through the morning, with pancakes instead of eggs or waffos